Please respond to this thread if you have any suggestions that you think would benefit Novus, its members, or the community! There's no such thing as a bad suggestion. We really appreciate your input, as you are what makes Novus the place we love.
If you have a question or concern, please use this thread instead.
Log of Suggestions
Here is a list of all your suggested changes or ideas, as well as any pertinent staff's notes and thoughts on each where applicable.
Click each title to expand the drop-down!
Adjusting rules that limit Stealth Attempts
Courtesy of @/Spaced: "I'd like to suggest to modify the rule that only Sovereigns, Regents and Wardens can make stealth attempts! I feel like it cuts off the potential for creative characters that specialise in thieving rather than fighting/healing etc."
The Library at Dawn Court
Courtesy of @/Roo: "I think it'd be a good idea to add a sub-category to the Dawn Court called The Libraries, or something like that. They are a court full of sages and knowledge-seekers, so I can see a handful of those spending time there."
STAFF NOTE: This was already in the works when Roo suggested it! C;
Accessory Item
Courtesy of @/Chan: "I'd like to suggest the option of buying single accessories, for the times when you only need one item and not a full outfit. It doesn't have to be cheap, I rather like that items are hard to come by and take real effort to get."
STAFF NOTE: This was already in the works when Chan suggested it!
Artisan Class
Courtesy of @/Chan: "Looking at the court ranks, I was thinking that it might be fun with an Artisan class. Each court could maybe specialize in one general type of craft, like weaving, metal-working etc, and the produce could be used for trading with other courts, as awards from sovereigns to active members and so on."
STAFF NOTE: When staff expanded the potential ranks to 30+, Artisan was one of the ones we included thanks to Chan's suggestion!
Expanding Experience-earning options
Courtesy of @Symbiosi: "Perhaps more experience options for non-warrior characters? Right now the experience system seems biased towards characters who will partake in spars, but for those of us with sages and caretakers (or even just characters who are feint of heart/are pacifists/etc) we cannot claim this experience. I understand that there are other ways to gain exp such as successful stealths/etc, but participating in a battle earns you +1 exp and seems rather easy to fulfill. Perhaps a healing "thread" (i.e. 3 replies?) can also earn +1 exp, or researching a subject 3 times (as in 3 posts to a thread devoted to studying a subject) can also result in +1 exp."
Courtesy of @Firefly: "I like the changes which were made for signos, and feel the prices in the Agora are fair. It's still INCREDIBLY difficult to earn experience, which makes it very hard to level magic. Perhaps we can either offer more ways to earn, raise the amounts you can earn, or reduce the amount required to level active magic... just my 2 cents."
Quote of the Season nomination
Courtesy of @/Noella: "Maybe a Quote of the Month nomination? Sometimes there's just a line in a post that sends chills, makes you want to cry, or makes you laugh out loud in real life, and you just want to show it to everyone because it's just a perfect summation of a character or a thread."
Foals inheritance of Active Magic
Courtesy of @/Tribs: "Right now, both parents needs to have magic to even give the foal a chance at inheriting it. Maybe make it so that it's still possible for a foal to inherit magic if only one parent has it? Albeit the roll/chance would be significantly smaller and more improbable, but it's still a chance."
Character Pass
Courtesy of @Symbiosi: "A wacky character pass! Would still have restrictions and would be regulated, but would allow for some creativity and "extra" stuff on characters."
Adjust Profile word count requirements
Courtesy of @Firefly: "I think it would be helpful to relax the word counts for character profiles. I personally find it really difficult to write 200/300/400 characters about my character. Simpler designs can often be described in a much easier way and I feel like I'm adding a ton of fluff just to make it to the word count. Histories are hard too, especially if it's a new character, because maybe you haven't fully fleshed out a crazy detailed backstory for the character and want to create it as you go."
Add stat bonuses for Weapons & Armor
Courtesy of @kealie: "Weapons increase attack and armor increases health just a bit to make the items worth it to purchase and make their worth reflect their price. But the only difference between the four (weapons, armor, outfits, and accessories) is the price! Armor is 1000, an outfit is 500, a weapon is 700, and accessories are only 150. The only problem I can see with this is that these are all aesthetic items and have no real use beyond that! Why is armor 1000 when it is basically just an outfit (500 signos) and why is weaponry 700 when it is basically just an accessory (150 signos)? The point increase in health (armor) and attack (weapon) that would come along with the armor/weapons would be incredibly beneficial because I have earned the signos to, essentially, buy a 'better' item, but as of now, it doesn't really mean or do anything that would warrant it being 'better'.
STAFF NOTE: We have been discussing a revamp of the battle system, and adding stat bonuses was part of the discussion! It's not a "set in stone" that it will happen with items specifically, as we're still discussing the intricate details... but it's a possibility ♥
Add more Experience Earning options
Courtesy of staff, as an off-shoot of @Obsidian's personal arc exp suggestion: "Add in additional ways to earn exp, such as a character learning how to read or write."
STAFF NOTE: We're always open to more suggestions like this! Members, feel free to post addt'l suggestions and add on specific exp-earning situations you feel would be of benefit to add in.
Remove 2-week wait between characters
Courtesy of @Firefly: "I would like to recommend considering removing and/or reducing the requirement to wait 2 weeks between joining characters. Perhaps there can be a "2 week wait OR post at least 10 times", or another type of way to waive this."
STAFF NOTE: At this time, staff have decided against implementing this suggestion to alter the existing rules. We apologize, although we appreciate your suggestions nonetheless! ♥ If our stance on this matter changes, we will most certainly notify.
Legend Titles
Courtesy of @/Meverrnind: "On other sites I've been on they were given to characters whenever they became a king or queen of said herd, but in my opinion that was always won too easily. For example the criteria could be to earn a legend title:
Reigned for at least one IC year (or even 2), increased court population by X number during term (10? 15?), Won X amount of battles, blocked/won X amount of stealths, achieved dominus level, posted in every subboard, X successful pregnancies, etc!
Courtesy of @/Lauren: "Legend Titles could also be for Character of the Season too."
STAFF NOTE: Unfortunately while we love the idea, it's a little bit harder to implement with all of our layouts as the postbits (where the character/account info is displayed) have very limited space. We will continue to see if there is a way to work around this, we're just not certain if it's possible to be done with our layouts!
Adding option for pixel icons to postbits
Courtesy of @Aurora: "In our post bit bar where a bg image hovers above our post, may I suggest adding a section for pixels? because i have so many cute pixels I'd love to use, but it bothers me when I clutter my signature. Just a personal preference. I think it would look uniformed/cute."
STAFF NOTE: We like the idea, however it would be a little hard to implement with our limited space in the postbits. We will continue to see if there is a way to work around this, we're just not certain if it's possible to be done with our layouts!
Adding Experience Earning options for Personal Arc Development
Courtesy of @Obsidian: "What if under the personal development part of exp earning, might there be an option for chars to earn exp for completing a developmental part of their arc? So it is entirely personal to them and focusses on that char's development within the game. For example, with leo, he doesn't know how to read or write, so what if he could earn exp for learning to read and write? Or another example, maybe a character has a terrible history with another and so they work to repair the bond between them? The player could maybe fill out a form explaining the development they want their char to achieve - it gets approved by admin/mods and then off the player goes to do it? It could be a set number of threads/posts for a set amount of exp so it is fair across the board for everyone."
STAFF NOTE: While we love the idea of personalizing ways for your characters to earn EXP, staff agree that this would be a large undertaking, very hard for us to track, and presents a lot of "gray areas." However, we are completely open to the suggestion of adding additional specific ways to earn EXP that are available to all characters, just not necessarily something that would change with each character! "Learning how to read or write" is a good suggestion in-and-of-itself, and if you think of additional ones, please post them!
Reply here to redeem site currency for completing certain things!
Requests will be deleted as they are fulfilled to keep the thread tidy.
All users are responsible for tracking and posting to claim their own signos.
Here is the current list of what you can redeem for signos!
Advertise on five sites - 25 signos
Must be multiples of five. First-time advertisements only. Please link directly to the advertisement thread itself.
Please search the other site's advertising forum to make sure another Novus ad wasn't already posted!
Be considerate, and don't create multiple threads for Novus! Signos earned will be revoked if you're found to be doing this.
Add a visual reference to your character's profile - 20 signos
Cannot be just a silhouetted image.
Thread with a member you haven't RP'd with before - 100 signos
Once per member, not per character.
You must have 3 replies (from your character) to claim this!
Complete a thread - 40 signos
Must have a minimum of 4 replies from your character, including their IC exit.
Examples of IC Exits: Your character falling asleep, physically leaving the location, and similar. Not sure? Ask staff!
All completed threads are eligible, regardless if you've claimed this before with the same character.
You may claim this as soon as your character posts their exit. If everyone has exited, thread will be closed and archived.
Create a worshiping thread - 25 signos
This redemption may only be claimed once every two weeks. Per character, not per member.
Only one post is needed, however the introductory post must be a minimum of 500 words to claim.
Receive a Signos Reward for an IC Event - Amount designated by the Event
Could be for an official IC Event such as The Portals or a Sovereign-run Court Event.
Must link to the "Court Event" thread in addition to the proof that you earned the reward (such as your character's thread, etc)
Applicable sections of your thread (such as if you need to meet specific criteria) must be HIGHLIGHTED:
Code:
<span class="alerted">Highligthed Text Here</span>
You are the one referring. Can only be claimed by one referrer per referee. Example: X&Y refer Z. Only X -or- Y may claim the referral prize.
Join Novus by a friend's reference - 50 signos
You are the one referred. Can only be claimed by one referee per referrer.
Win a spotlight - 250 signos
Includes Character, Member, Pair, Thread, and Quote of the Season.
Usually it doesn't need to be claimed separately and is automatically given out by staff when spotlight winners are announced.
Visit Novus on your birthday - 50 signos
Must have actually posted the redemption request (or another post) on your birthday.
Visit Novus on a major holiday - 200 signos*
Must have actually posted the redemption request (or another post, IC or OOC) on said holiday, in Novus time (EST).
Additional holidays may be eligible if they are widely and internationally celebrated; contact staff to discuss!
Eligible holidays are subject to change! Currently claimable holidays are:
Novus' Anniversary Week (06/01-06/07) - FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: 500 signos!
Christmas Eve (12/24)
Christmas Day (12/25)
Hanukkah (Date varies - 25th day of Kislev) Only 1 day out of all observed days can be claimed, once per year.
Passover (Date varies - 15th day of Nisan) Only 1 day out of all observed days can be claimed, once per year.
Valentine's Day (02/14)
Easter (Date varies - first Sunday following the full Moon that occurs on or just after the spring equinox)
New Year's Eve (12/31)
New Year's Day (01/01)
Halloween (10/31)
Mother's Day (Date varies - second Sunday of May)
Father's Day (Date varies - third Sunday in June)
Earth Day (04/22)
Signos Redemption Form
Respond to this thread with the following form filled out. Repeat the middle portion (For, Amount, Proof) for each redemption.
Code:
<span class="officialheader">Signos Redemption Request</span>
<blockquote>
<b>Name:</b> YOUR OOC NAME HERE
<b>Account:</b> WHAT ACCOUNT WOULD YOU LIKE THE SIGNOS SENT TO
<b>For:</b> WHAT ARE YOU REDEEMING SIGNOS FOR
<b>Amount:</b> HOW MANY (SEE THE FIRST POST IN THIS THREAD FOR A LIST)
<b>Proof:</b> PROVIDE PROOF, IF YOU HAVE ANY
<b>Total Signos:</b> TOTAL OF ALL SIGNOS TO BE REDEEMED
<b>Notes:</b> ANYTHING ELSE YOU THINK WE NEED TO KNOW
</blockquote>
Posted by: Novus Team - 05-23-2017, 10:14 AM - Forum: Updates
- No Replies
Questions & Concerns
Please respond to this thread if you have any questions or concerns that we can answer! This is a great chance to bring our attention to anything that could improve your experience on Novus, to clarify anything that you're having trouble grasping, or even get something useful added to our FAQ!
We really appreciate your input and welcome all types of questions and comments! You are what makes Novus the place we love.
If you have a suggestion, please use this thread instead.
This guide will break down our experience (EXP) system, including how to earn EXP and rewards for reaching certain checkpoints.
EXP Overview
EXP is the primary statistic for all characters. It gives an edge in battles and allows characters to level up their magic, if they have any.
All characters start with 10 EXP.
The EXP scale ranges from 10 to 100.
EXP is earned per character and cannot be transferred between characters.
Upon reaching an EXP Milestone (listed below), you can reply to this thread to update your EXP and claim your reward.
Upon reaching an EXP Milestone (listed below), you will also receive 20 extra points to divvy up between Health and Attack, up to an overall 100 split points.
To help keep track of EXP, you can create a tracking log. For a free coded format or example, see this thread. Logs are not 'official,' but more for personal reference and ease of tracking. EXP will only be official when formally updated (see above bullet point).
Earning EXP
Experience can be earned in a variety of ways, all of which pertain to IC activity and interactions. A comprehensive list can be found in the Experience Updates & Rewards Redemption thread!
This guide will break down the thread prefixes available for each board, and when to use each one. If a board is not listed here, that means it does not require thread prefixes or has no thread prefixes assigned to it.
Universal Prefixes
Information[Info] — Contains information about the board.
Announcements
IC[IC] — An announcement pertaining to IC happenings. OOC[OOC] — An announcement pertaining to OOC happenings.
Updates
Updates[Updates] — Threads where you can request to have something updated.
Supplementals
Guidebook Supplement[Guidebook Supplement] ‐ Threads containing information that is helpful to read in addition to the Guidebook.
Pending
Dawn Court[Dawn] — A character belonging to the Dawn Court. Day Court[Day] — A character belonging to the Day Court. Dusk Court[Dusk] — A character belonging to the Dusk Court. Night Court[Night] — A character belonging to the Night Court. Vagabond[Vagabond] — A character belonging to the Vagabonds.
Accepted
Dawn Court[Dawn] — A character belonging to the Dawn Court. Day Court[Day] — A character belonging to the Day Court. Dusk Court[Dusk] — A character belonging to the Dusk Court. Night Court[Night] — A character belonging to the Night Court. Vagabond[Vagabond] — A character belonging to the Vagabonds.
Breeding Requests
Breeding Request[Breeding] — A breeding request. Success[Success] — Staff will change the prefix to this if a breeding attempt is successful. Failure[Failure] — Staff will change the prefix to this if a breeding attempt has failed.
Retire or Reactivate
Request[Request] — A request for deletion. Name[Completed] — Staff will change the prefix to this when a request is completed.
Plotting
Open[Open] — Plotting threads that are open for new ideas, characters, etc. Closed[Closed] — Plotting threads that are closed to new ideas, characters, etc.
Logs
— No current prefixes.
Wish Lists
— No current prefixes.
Moodboards
— No current prefixes.
Lore
Open[Open] — Anyone is allowed to create characters from this world. Limited[Limited] — Members must receive permission from the creator before creating characters from this world. Closed[Closed] — The world is not open for character creation and serves only as a reference.
Development
Open[Open] — Actively looking for assistance with character development.
Intros
— No current prefixes.
Player Updates
Absence Ongoing[ONGOING] — Denotes an absence that is ongoing, and has a set timeframe; expect no posts or activity from the player. Absence Ended[Ended] — Denotes an absence that has ended; player has resumed normal activity. Low Activity[Low Activity] — Denotes not a "full" absence or hiatus, but moreso a period of low activity. These are not considered full absences and characters of these players are not applicable to receive immunity from challenges, battles, and stealths. Hiatus[HIATUS] — Denotes a leave of absence that, for various reasons, has no set end-date. Characters of these players are still only immune to battles, challenges, and stealths for two weeks.
Chill Zone
— No current prefixes.
Fun
— No current prefixes.
Graphics
Closed[Closed] — A member shop that is currently closed for orders. Fulfilled[Fulfilled] — A request that has been fulfilled or is no longer needed. Open[Open] — A member shop that is currently open for orders. Premade[Premade] — A thread where a user provides non-customized tables for general use. Request[Request] — A request for art or coding.
Adoption Center
Closed[Closed] — An adoptable or character role/relationship that is currently closed or already filled. Open[Open] — An adoptable or character role/relationship that is currently open and the member is seeking a player.
In-Character boards
Global prefixes for All IC Forums
All Welcome[AW] — A thread that is open for anyone to join. Experience Earning[EXP] — A thread where the characters will be threading about an EXP earning task. IC Event[Event] — A notation of an official IC Event that can be claimed for experience rewards if participated in. Interactive Quest[Quest] — A thread - many times started by the Random Events account - where the characters will be questing for a redeemed Restricted Item. Private[P] — A private thread between roleplayers, usually for plots. Site Wide Plot[SWP] — A notation of an official SWP that can be claimed for experience rewards if participated in. Trigger Warning[TW] — A thread that contains possible trigger content (severe illnesses, drugs, etc).
Veneror Peak
Worship[Worship] — An IC post meant for worshiping the gods. Has higher chance of random item drops. Union[Union] — An IC post meant for two characters to request a Union from the gods.
Amare Creek
Fade to Black[FTB] — A post where its alluded that the participants may try to conceive a foal/fawn.
Bellum Steppe and The Colosseum
Awaiting Judgment[AJ] — A battle or challenged that has been completed (or deadlines have not been met) awaiting judgment by staff. Battle[B] — A battle that needs to be judged. Challenge[C] — A battle for a position of power that needs to be judged. Feud[F] — An unjudged battle. Judged[Judged] — Staff will change the prefix to this when a Battle or Challenge has been judged. Passing Through[Passing Through] — A thread unrelated to battles. Can be interrupted at any time.. Skirmish[S] — An argument that does not lead to a physical battle.
Abigo Caves
Failure[Failure] — Staff will change the prefix to this if a stealth attempt has failed. Passing Through[Passing Through] — A thread unrelated to stealth. Can be interrupted at any time, including for an attempt to steal. Stealth Attempt[Stealth] — A stealth attempt. Success[Success] — Staff will change the prefix to this if a stealth attempt is successful.
The Portals
Portal IC Event[Portal] — Seasonal Portal event; most often found in The Portals official board, but may be usable in other boards if random portals pop up elsewhere.
This guide will break down, in detail, how to fill out your profiles.
Account Switcher
How staff and other members can see which characters are played by which member. This is required! It also allows you to switch between accounts without having to log in each time.
Step by step guide:
While logged into your IC ACCOUNT, go to your User CP.
In the menu on the left side, choose "Account Switcher."
Choose the option that says "Attach current account to a user."
Enter the username and password for your OOC account, then click "Attach."
You should see your OOC account listed in the sidebar under "Switch". All you have to do is click on the account to switch to it - no more logging in!
Please ensure your OOC account is listed as the Master Account!
OOC Name
The alias that you go by on Novus. Must be plain text. No HTML coding or symbols.
Date of Birth
Your date of birth (not your character's date of birth). This will not be displayed anywhere but in your User CP.
Date of Birth Privacy
How you'd like to display your date of birth. This field is irrelevant but is a default profile field from MyBB. If you wish to fill it out, there are three options: Display Age and Date of Birth, Hide Age and Date of Birth, and Display Only Age. No matter what you choose here, your date of birth will not be displayed anywhere but in your User CP.
OOC Account ID
The account ID for your OOC profile. Go to your OOC profile. The account ID is the very last number when you look at your OOC profile's URL. For instance, Elkayell's OOC profile URL is "http://novus-rpg.net/member.php?action=profile&uid=3" — based on this, her account ID is 3 (not 03 or three).
OOC Blurb
A short paragraph about you, the role-player. You can use HTML coding like bold etc, but please no div widths etc - it will stretch the container!
DeviantArt
Your DeviantArt username - just the username itself, not the full address URL!
Discord Username
Your Discord username - formatted like: hello#0000
Log Link
Enter the URL to your Log, if you have any. This field should only be the URL. Once this field is populated, a link to your Plotter will display under the "User Links" portion of the welcome block - or if you're on the First Era layout: whenever you hover over "Portal" in the navigation pane, giving you a quick and easy way to get to it.
Plotter Link
Enter the URL to your Plotting thread, if you have any. This field should only be the URL. Once this field is populated, a link to your Plotter will display under the "User Links" portion of the welcome block - or if you're on the First Era layout: whenever you hover over "Portal" in the navigation pane, giving you a quick and easy way to get to it.
Wishlist
Enter the URL to your Wishlist, if you have any. This field should only be the URL. Once this field is populated, a link to your Plotter will display under the "User Links" portion of the welcome block - or if you're on the First Era layout: whenever you hover over "Portal" in the navigation pane, giving you a quick and easy way to get to it.
Postbit Bar URL
An image to use as your postbit header background (as seen at the top of this post). When hovered over, it will display the user's information. The image dimensions must be 1200 pixels wide x 200 pixels tall. The image can be anything you want (with the exception of humans, unless it is for your OOC account). We highly recommend staying away from including any text on the image, as they dynamically resize according to each individual member's monitor size.
Postbit Phrase
Only applicable on the First Era layout. A short phrase (75 characters or less) that will appear beneath your postbit image.
Profilebit URL
An image to use as a thin banner at the bottom of your profile (if on New Dawn, Radiant Day, or Amber Glade layouts) or behind your character's name on their profile (on First Era layout). The image dimensions must be 1200 pixels wide x 142 pixels tall. The image can be anything you want (with the exception of humans, unless it is for your OOC account). We highly recommend staying away from including any text on the image, as they dynamically resize according to each individual member's monitor size.
Profile Banner
An image to use as the main banner at the top of your character's profile The image dimensions must be at least 1200 pixels wide. The image can be anything you want (with the exception of humans, unless it is for your OOC account). We highly recommend staying away from including any text on the image, as they dynamically resize according to each individual member's monitor size.
Physical Gender
Your character's physical gender identity. To suggest an addition, message @inkbone.
Pronouns
Your character's preferred pronouns, such as She/Her/Hers - He/Him/His - They/Them/Theirs, etc.
Orientation
Your character's orientation - such as Heterosexual, Homosexual, Bisexual, Asexual, Demisexual, etc. Unknown or Discovering are also acceptable.
Breed
Your character's closest breed(s), with the strongest influence being first. An example would be: 'Arabian x Morgan', where the character looks more like an Arabian than a Morgan. If there are more than two breeds, please format like this: Arabian X , or Morgan X.
Height
Your character's height, in the unit of hands (1 hand height = 4 inches)
Reference Image URL
A reference image for your character to give the reader a visual aid whenever they look at your character's profile. The image width can be a maximum of 1024 pixels.
Appearance
Your character's appearance. This must be a minimum of 100 words, regardless of whether or not you have a reference image. Please refer to the Character Rules for guidelines on acceptable character designs. You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
Personality
Your character's personality. Must include at least 6 positive and 4 negative traits. This must be a minimum of 200 words, excluding the list of positive and negative traits. Please refer to the Character Rules for more information on what we expect for character personalities. You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
History
Your character's history. This must be a minimum of 300 words. Please refer to the Character Rules for more information on what we expect for character histories. You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
Active & Parvus Magic
If you have purchased the Active Magic item for your character, fill out this section with your character's magic ladder and Parvus magic, if chosen. Please refer to the Magic page of the Guidebook for more information on our Magic system. You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
Passive Magic
If you have purchased the Passive Magic item for your character, fill out this section with a description of your character's passive magic. Please refer to the Magic page of the Guidebook for more information on our Magic system. You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
Bonded & Pets
If you have purchased one of the Bonded items for your character, fill out this section with information on your character's bonded and/or pets. This should include a brief personality and physical description. Please refer to the Bondeds & Pets page of the Guidebook for more information on our animal companions. You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
Armor, Outfit & Accessories
All characters are allowed up to three small accessories for free. This includes hairbands (multiple hairbands count as one accessory), bracelets, necklaces, and more. If you have free accessories or you've purchased an Outfit or Armor, fill out this section with a description of the items. The free small accessories must be listed for your character's application to be accepted. You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
Other
Fill out this section with any other information you want to include about your character. Many members use this section to keep track of on-site activity, relationships, poems or lyrics, or other things. There are no restrictions here! You are allowed to use HTML coding here.
Custom CSS
If you'd like to customize the fonts, colors, and images of your profile, enter the CSS here to do so. Please remember that fully customized profiles are not allowed; the structure of our profiles must remain intact.
