Topics - Luca

#1

Refugia / On The Inevitable Doom Brought About by The Increase in The Human Population

April 22, 2022, 07:44:29 PM

Lads,

The Regional Map do be getting a bit thicc. There's 5-6 CTE nations that have gone within the last two weeks, so they did not get removed from the map as of the last update. If they come back before the next update, they will remain. But even if they get dropped, it seems like people are already starting to feel like their desired representations on a map can no longer be achieved because space is now so limited.

The map itself is also large and complex and takes quite a while to process updates, which is why I have increasingly put them off. For the last year and a half, the map was updated every month, but this last update did not come until just yesterday. A second, supplementary map would likely compound this difficulty.

The current situation has not been ordained by god or otherwise made inflexible. We have often made up laws, policies, or offices to help the good management of the region, and as this seems like a situation that looks like it needs help.

What sort of options appeal to us here? Should there be some kind of cartographer office created? Would anyone fill it, and would it be a Regional Councillor?

Like, subscribe, and follow me on instacart.

#2

The Admin Tower / The 2021 Refuge Census

February 10, 2022, 10:17:12 PM

The 2021 Refuge Census

The Refuge Census is an annual project first created in 2009, where members may give feedback on our services, whether some of them need additions, modifications, or just need to go. We also study demographic changes due to new members joining the community and existing members ageing. Census data is generated through responses filled out by Refuge members during the week in which the survey runs. All results are anonymous, and there are no questions for which respondents are required to provide an answer.

This is certainly the longest delay I have ever had in providing feedback from a census in the ten or so years I've personally been running them. But life happens and sometimes apartments explode with water at 4am and you lose a bit of time (as well as timezone maps you were half finished with). Still, we have many reasons to rejoice for this round of results, and one of them is that we continue to break records in the number of censuses turned in each year.

In 2019, we had about the lowest turnout in a long while with only 16 responses. In 2020, we had 38 responses. This time it was nearly 50.

Most excitingly, we now have enough operational services for me to start asking about their quality and frequency in ways that may once again feel very familiar. Notably, we learned that there are a whole lot of people who do not know what one or more services are. This may not be as negative as I have always thought. For, not reflected in this chart, individual responses indicate that those who prefer forums and those who prefer chats live in the most different of worlds than any time since 2009. Members who are gameside only are more likely to look at the forum, and less likely to even know what the chat even is. However, so long as both worlds are content with the services provided to them, I do not see this as an issue.

Individual response observations include:

There is a direct disparity between people who use Dot and people who use the forum, in regards to the "two worlds".
There is even a disparity between people who use the discord server and people who use Vote.CalRef.
People who do not know what the discord server is are almost guaranteed to not know what anything else is.
If they do know about other things, they know about the voting site.

Additional Misc Observations:

There are a number of gameside only people from South America, and as many from Continental Europe.
Only the admins live in the Pacific timezone.
For the first time possibly ever, we have moved directly and substantially towards a more equal distribution of members by gender.
There has been a markedly strong rise in ace people.
The number of people who have at some point participated in Refugia's government is steadily rising, from only 15% in 2020 to 26% now.

Finally, and although I ended on this note last time, it still holds true. There are more Refugi than ever before, which is very quite incredible to me. I'm sorry to say that at this point, I don't even know who all of you are. But so long as you're happy and able to reach me or another admin or Councillor when there's a problem, then I'm very happy to have you along for our weird ride. I'll be working to make sure that we improve in the areas that it looks like you guys think need help, and I'll be trying to incorporate some of the suggestions that you've dropped in the census (including responses that did not make it onto the presentation).

Until then, please enjoy the graphic below, and thanks again for participating :D

#3

Refugia / [Draft] In The Off Season, I Drive an Omnibus Election Consolidation Package

February 08, 2022, 04:37:40 PM

In The Off Season, I Drive an Omnibus Election Consolidation Package

PRERAMBLE.

Whereas the current election scheme was designed to allow Member States who were unsuccessful in an election to run for a subsequent election and,

Whereas a single Member State has taken advantage of this dynamic in the three years the Region has existed,

Desiring a more streamlined election cycle that better facilitates a less harsh candidacy period and which does not dump unsuspecting Councillors into office without a proper debriefing of their station,

RRS 10 and RRS 11 shall be replaced entirely with the following content:

10. The succession of the Arch-Administrator is subject to the succession laws of Refuge Isle, and verified by the presence of an anchor stone and Administration Tower. The Arch-Administrator will call elections for all democratic Council seats according to the following convention:

Candidacy Period	Feb 1 - 7	Jun 1 - 7	Oct 1 - 7
Voting Period	Feb 8 - 14	Jun 8 - 14	Oct 8 - 14
Transition Period	Feb 15 - 21	Jun 15 - 21	Oct 15 - 21

11. Elections will consist of a one week candidacy period where an eligible Member State may declare their intent to stand for office, a one week voting period where all Member States may vote for their desired candidate, and a one week transition period to acclimate the incoming Councillor with their roles and responsibilities. Terms officially begin the 22^nd day of February, June, and October.

a. Candidacy declarations must be given in one or more easily accessible areas as designated by the Arch-Administrator.

b. Residents must qualify as Member States as defined in RRS 3 to be eligible for candidacy.

c. Member States are prohibited from occupying more than one seat at any given time or occupying the same Council seat more than two times consecutively.

d. In the event of more than two valid candidates for a single seat, instant run-off voting will determine the winner, where candidates are ranked by preference on the ballot and eliminated by fewest votes during each round of ballot counting.

e. The election for each seat is resolved in favour of the candidate with the most votes at the final round of ballot counting.

f. In the event of unexpected absences or positions that cannot be filled, the Arch-Administrator may act in that position's capacity, or appoint an individual who may serve in that position's capacity until the following election produces a regular appointment.

Authored by: Refuge Isle
Seconded by:

#4

The Admin Tower / [steadily increasing shadow council noises]

December 24, 2021, 05:18:04 PM

Hey all,

This is one is a little bit overdue, but I'd like to announce that Maddie will be joining the moderation team today, helping to keep a healthy and happy community. Maddie has been around since 2019 and one of the most responsible and competent folks who have ever helped run Refugia. She's an all around joy to talk to and work with, sharp as a tack, and she's been a vital insight into who and what might pose a threat to our community. I have no doubt that she is going to do great, and that we will all be better off for it.

Please join me in wishing her well and distributing congratulations

#5

The Admin Tower / Refuge Censuseseeses (2013 - 2020)

November 17, 2021, 06:47:28 PM

[floatleft]

[/floatleft]Greetings,

As I was processing this year's Refuge Census, I recalled that it has been an oft-promised commitment to publish the previous years' results to the new forum, since posts before 2019 have been archived and are not viewable to new members. Pleasing news: I have now gotten to this section of my To Do list and can provide this information now.

Because the data is so ancient, and the reports page gets more and more undeveloped the further back in time you go, probably the bulk of this is not going to be terribly interesting. Particularly, the manner in which I asked certain questions was a bit dimwitted at points. Still, for those who have been curious about previous years, I have been able to locate reports since 2013, with their approximate verbiage at the time. Apparently, I have gotten less verbose over time, or more inclined to put stuff into charts without vocalising an analysis recently.

The ultimate goal of the census is to collect feedback about how sites and services are doing, and the bulk of the open-ended or long form comments are not released with the results. Surveys before 2013 were largely not as organised, and any metrics we used to collect feedback from 2009 - 2012 is no longer available, or at least no longer coherent.

The 2021 Refuge Census' results will be available soon and posted to this board in a separate thread. Until then, here's everything else:

The 2020 Refuge Census - Dec 03, 2020

Greetings.

As with last time, I have forgotten to post this here by a factor of months. So, for the permanent record for me to consult more accessibly later on, allow me to post the results of ~~this~~ last year's Refuge Census:

QuoteResults:
Thanks for everyone who filled out The 2020 Refuge Census. There were way freaking more responses to this that I've ever had before, by far. As a result of that, a lot of services that maybe weren't all that promoted, were entirely unknown to a lot of people. So. that paints a good map of what kind of work I need to do in admin now to get those more visible and accessible.

Since I've been doing this for a while now, I've also had enough information to look back over several years and see how things have changed over time. Those have been added to the bottom of the post.

Some other misc conclusions:
• Most people are new
• Most people plan on sticking around as far as they know
• The first person since 2014 said they have kids
• There's a lot more guys than you'd think. Or at least a lot more guys than I'd think.
• We are very very slightly less gay than last time - but still incredibly gay.

And, kind of heart-warmingly, more people self-identified as a Refugi that at any point since I started asking the question (In 2013?)

The 2019 Refuge Census - Jul 03, 2019

Hello! I have just realised that information about the 2019 Refuge Census was never published to the chat this year, and by gosh we need to fix that so that when I look for this information in 250 years, it will all be right here in Announcements.

The Refuge Census is an annual feedback project first created in 2009. We study the overall environment at CalRef, as well as changes in demographics as new members register and existing members age. For the 2019 census, we omitted questions related to the site's services and their implementation, as not enough services were available at the time of the survey. These questions are scheduled to return as normal next year.

This census ran from the 26^th of June to the 3^rd of July, 2019.

When the survey concluded, this was the statement that was released:

Quote from: WisdomThe Census is concluded.
Thank you to everyone who completed one, enjoy a big mental hug from me. The most notable observation is that we're gayer than we've ever been with only 37% of responses selecting that they were straight. We're also, on average, younger than any other time since I've been keeping track of these averages, for the last six years the average has been above 23, occasionally 25. This year, the average member is 20 years old. Men also outweigh everyone else less than ever before, whereas up to 2015, they made up some 75-80%, this year they account for 56%.

Most importantly, ten people self-identified as Refugi, the same number as was recorded in 2016. This is particularly great because of all the people who have left, just as many have come in and CalRef home, and I'm so happy about that.

Let's keep building this thing and going strong.

A census of CalRef members did not take place in 2017 because of an external census which happened off-site. A census did not take place in 2018 due to extenuating circumstances.

The 2016 Refuge Census - Nov 15, 2016

Thanks for everyone, once again, for taking part in the census.

A full breakdown of the use, quality, and demographic facts is here, in glorious high-resolution, so that you may see my formatting errors in vivid detail. Now, in no particular order, I'll begin to list some of the finds that I have noticed for the project this year.

The first is that CalRef's age, or combined average age is 0.1 years older than it was this time last year. This means that more young people responded to the census this year and reduced that average by more than time has advanced since the last census. Another item of note is the massive migration east. Where there were four respondents selecting the MST zone and one for EST in the last census, the registration is one and nine, respectively, for this one. There are now no members reporting that they have kids.

CalRef is as gay as it has ever been, at least by the Kinsey index, which is valued at 2.43, topping the previous record of 2.19 in 2010. There are more heterosexuals than in 2010, but by the strength of the submissions recorded between 3 and 6, the index is higher.

Another observation is a marked migration in chat theme preferences. When I posted this in 2014, Carbon was the most used theme among members. However, as of this census, it wasn't selected by any respondent. Instead, Stygium, a theme based around not being a theme at all, was the most popular selection, by far.

So, the last item would be suggestions for plans in the future. While the quality of services have not actually taken a hit this year, it doesn't look like a number of services are getting particularly good (or any) use, and this is probably because they are not particularly useful. Independently, there has been a sudden massive interest in doing a D&D/AIMhack or other narrative-creative-multiplayer D&D-style campaign among members. The shift from RP writing to creative multiplayer interactions in realtime is interesting and definitely something I'm interested in helping out with.

As a result, over the next few months, we're going to be working on another large-scale site update called CalRef III. CalRef III will be a sequel to the previous large-scale update, CalRef II. When these items are completed, a transitional period of downtime may occur for one to three days. A new topic will be posted into Announcements, which will have a complete list of the improvements and site changes. Some of the things we're planning in update include:

Closing out old, unmaintained subdomains
Structural forum changes
Rebuilding/renovating RadioRefuge
Moving all services to a newer, faster, more stable server
Focusing on regular and semi-regular Twitch/Youtube streams of Stuff and Things.
Upgrades to files.calref features

The 2015 Refuge Census - Nov 09, 2015

Thanks again for completing the census. The graphical results can be found here and a few thoughts on the data are below.

At current, there are a number of older members that are dealing with a number of things preventing them from being here. Consequently, the frequency of use index has dropped for this census period. However, there were far fewer people who didn't know what services we had. At any rate, I predict that activity will increase in January and remain relatively stable until the end of next August, where it will increase slightly again.

Due to the gallup "yea or nay" drawbacks, administrators received a 100% feedback score for nominal approval. This is why I put more stock in the AccuScore, which gives more weight to strength of yeas and nays and also includes indifferent responses.

No respondents selected economic or social conservatism, or conservative-leaning options this year.

The average age of Refugi have decreased by a third of a year, consistently falling.

The number of members that registered at long-lost SW satellite sites has decreased sharply.

The number of members who have self-reported Refugi status has increased sharply.

Artemis and more regularly scheduled Refuge Game Nights and radio events were relatively consistent suggestions for upcoming activities.

We have received a number of messages related to issues regarding moderators for the second census in a row and will be looking at reform options over the next month and a half, to take effect by the first of January.

That is all.

The 2014 Refuge Census - Oct 12, 2014

Thanks to everyone, once again, who contributed to the census and allowed me to complete this annual project. Believe it or not, the responses are actually useful and we actually look into them. We don't have nearly as much time as we did when we were kids (just like you all don't either), so this is helpful for telling us what areas we really need to work on.

To recap, last year respondents said that while the chat was the most-used service, it was also one of the more unstable because of intense lag, crashes, and dropping people out of the room. We agreed, and Aran was kind and awesome enough to take a screenshot of it, bulldoze it, and build an entirely new one in its image. Same familiar interface, but now it actually works (and has more features!).

This change increased the chat's use by several index points and three more quality points. (It's hard to see a change in quality when most of the responses are "Excellent" and it's already at 90% of the maximum rating). There was also a request to increase PDN length in the chat. In Cadence, the length is now 29 characters. In any XMPP client, the theoretical length is 1024 characters, but you will only be able to see it in that client. If you need more characters than that, we have bigger problems.

The forums were stiff, had no style, and lacked a host of features that they once had, so we brought SMF back with new, updated features, new themes and graphics, and better profile integration and support. This change increased the forum's frequency of use by twenty points, the biggest change of any service. Where it was ranked last by use last year, it is now ranking second. The forum's quality index has increased by 22 points, also the biggest change of any service.

These changes were a part of the mega update known as CalRef II, and I think it's fair to say it was a success.

So, for reminder / clarification, the frequency of use formula (which is the same as last year) takes equal weight to all answers. We lose points for members not knowing what a service is, and gain one for members at least knowing *that* a service is, even if they never use it. If, next year, we get more members and they use things, the number will be correspondingly higher. Less than half of the members did not know what one or more CR services were.

The Quality Index is a percentile, so if everyone says Service A is excellent, that item has an index of 100. This section received 98 more responses than last year, partially due to the addition of the "I don't use this service option". A service does not take damage from a member not using it, since that data is already collected in the frequency of use section.

BUT IT COULD STILL BE BETTER

You're right, it could. Let's discuss some of the suggestions you've mentioned this year.

Quote from: Survey 123Video chat? When do we get that?

Quote from: Response from SylaeThis has been a pretty consistent request over the last few years, coming from several members, so I thought I'd set aside a block of text to discuss why I don't support this idea.

My first and foremost concern is maintaining the welfare, privacy, and security of all members. A video-based interface opens a really big can of worms relating to issues with this. A lot of people, myself included, are hesitant about using webcams for video chat. Also, after discounting the staff who (most likely) wouldn't use video chat, there simply isn't enough coverage to ensure things stay civil. In addition, several members are underage, and while I trust that the adult userbase is mature enough to control themselves, anything untoward happening would essentially shut down the entire site.

A second concern is that of bandwidth usage. The current, text-based XMPP chat is set to limit each logged-in user to a maximum of 1 KiB/s. about 90% of the time, a connection sits idle, literally pulling 0 b/s. In fact, due to replacing the aged AJAX chat with Cadence, the Refuge's 95th percentile bandwidth use is comparable to that of a 56k modem. Sending a single HD video stream to a user would pull about 1.5 mbit/s each way. Not only would this incur a significant amount of bandwidth charges, it would place undue strain on the server (particularly CPU usage, one would have to combine multiple users' video feeds into a single stream, which is a hard task for a CPU).

But that's for HD video, what about a little 480p stream or something? Unfortunately, this is still ridiculous bandwidth usage when compared to the current chat, and in addition the finished product would be sub-par. I pride myself on the quality of work that goes into the Refuge, and offering a sub-par service is not something I am comfortable with.

I encourage all willing users to do video chats. However, I cannot directly support such a venture and would therefore recommend something like a Skype chat (or, more preferably, there are many peer-to-peer video chat options that save your privacy). I'd say the closest we'll get is the Mumble server.

Quote from: Survey 121It'd be nice if files.calref had a (short?) list of things I'd recently uploaded so that I could find them more easily. Oh! Or...! Since the links that thing generates are as long as heck, including l.calref.net (or a link to that tool) on the files.calref page would be awesome. I'd definitely use l.calref more if that were to happen.

Quote from: Response from SylaeI've had a few comments regarding files.calref, including a 'history' feature and integration with l.calref to make the URLs less horrible. These are both certainly possible, and I will look into getting a proof-of-concept available as soon as possible.

Quote from: Survey 126I'd say that the Minecraft server should be version 1.8, but we've already invested time and effort into how it exists as it is, and it's a minor gripe.

Quote from: Response from Aran
So, uh, I don't know how much you've heard of this, but the Bukkit project basically imploded.

http://headswilllol.com/post.php?id=26
http://headswilllol.com/post.php?id=27

Not sure what exactly is happening or why it's happening now, but apparently there is beef between Mojang and some of the volunteer developers, and there's been a DMCA notice from a former developer for a GPL violation, or something, and now nearly all the Bukkit devs resigned?

Anyway, it doesn't look good, and the 1.8 update might take longer or even require switching the server software.

Additionally, Minecraft has now been purchased by Microsoft, and the total extent of the effects of that are not yet clear, but it does seem like Spade on its current version is going to be it for us hosting Minecraft. If anything changes and Bukkit reemerges from its freefall, we will promptly update the server when the Bukkit version matches, because that is the only way we are able to host MC.

Quote from: Survey 119The option to kick Moderators for all regular members.

Nope.

There are several other suggestions that need to be reviewed for a while longer before we make any comments on them. If you do not see your comment above, rest assured, we have. Just give us a couple weeks to find some solutions.

As you may have noticed, we have slightly higher ratings in staff approval this year. As before, nominal ratings are like Gallup, they take into consideration only responses that are positive and negative. AccuRatings, which I prefer, are like my services quality index, they give weight strong responses and indifferent responses.

I've updated/recreated previous year's data regarding sexual orientation. You can take a look at it here. As you can see, everyone will be straight in three or four years, statistically. :P

The average age of the Refuge is 24.16. years old. Last year, it was 23.88. This means that the Refuge is ageing slower than time is actually moving. So, thanks for keeping us young, new members. :P There are 53 more years between us than there were last year.

Most interestingly, we know that the Refuge is primarily composed of two "waves", which includes the original Refugi wave, and the 2012 SW wave. What we didn't know up to this point is that those waves constitute everyone who filled out a census. According to the responses, no members who registered between between 2010 and 2011, as well as since 2014 remained. If they have, they did not complete a census in this survey cycle.

79% of respondents plan on being "lifers". And 74% of respondents consider themselves Refugi who adequately belong here, with 21% on the fence.

The members who have been a part of an RP are now the minority.

There are, additionally, four interesting charts that discuss member's education level, offspring (or lack thereof), and social/economic ideology. While these are very pretty and fun to look at, they are all new this year, and I am more interested in seeing how they change over the next five years.

The 2013 Refuge Census - Nov 21, 2013

G'diddia,

A big thanks to all 18 of you that completed the 2013 Refuge Census. This is the chart that I have created from Excel, the best program for numerical data since...paper.

The Frequency of Use Index gives accurate weighted ranks for each service based on its use and allows easy comparison to other services. So obviously, the actual number of something is fairly arbitrary, but the difference between two services is not.

The Quality of Service graph uses a similar index formula, and it is sorted by that number, but it's not included in the chart because you cannot compare other services to that number. This is because of all the people who took the survey, all respondents answered every question regarding frequency of use, equating to 144 responses. However, there were only 74 responses for the quality questions. And that's kinda what you would expect: If you don't know what a service even is, you can't accurately rate it. I was pretty surprised about the number of services that most of you didn't know about. Hopefully you do now, if not, pop those in you web browser and see if there's anything you might be able to use.

I am certainly glad to see that the Sopris server has the highest quality rating because we, literally, do nothing besides sit around and try to think of ways to make it better, so at least we can do that right. The chat is the second highest, which is also good because everyone who answered the survey used it. Sylae would still like to make it less glitchy in the coming months. Based off of their percentage of satisfaction, I should make note that blades.calref and money.calref are tied. I actually have no idea how Excel decided to put one over the other.

The "nominal rating" for quality of CR staff is the rating that you would see Gallup use. Do you approve of this person's job performance, yes or no. Because that is the standard for so many polls, it's on there, but I personally don't think that's an accurate form of measure because
1). It doesn't give weight to people who feel strongly in either direction
2). It completely drops people who said "okay" off the planet since that's the neutral option that Sy decided to use for this question. So I created an "AccuRating" that weighs responses similarly to the way I weighted responses in Quality of Service, so I personally prefer this method of getting the real approval rating. For quite a while, Administration was leading with AccuRating and I'm honestly pretty surprised it ended up being tied the way it did. Administration was rated more moderately than the moderators who, ironically, were either strongly loved or strongly hated by respondants.

For the orientation poll, the percentage of straight and bi/pan has gone down this year, partly because of my next fact. This is the first year we've had both "unknown" and "asexual" responses. We've had those in the past, but not in the same year. Being straight is still the most populous category by far. For previous years' pie charts click here. I have included the average in the form of a Kinsey Index. A lot of you object to Kinsey, I do too, but last year Dantius complained not including it made it harder to track the general orientation movement of the Refuge.

The age chart should come as no surprise to anyone, especially since I did a short thing in the chat not long ago based off of my own knowledge of people's ages and their handy Facebook information. The responses in the census are much more legitimate and had a very small margin for error. I've decided to artificially add Dantius into the mix, since he is unable to take the census this year, being on a highly secretive engineering assignment in the Middle East. There are 406 years between us. Drupal thought it was very important I share that with you, so I have.

For those of you that posted recommendations for new features that you would like to see as well as suggestions and comments in general, I have posted those ideas in the mod board and we will see if we can make any of those happen, although not a lot of you answered that question (which is fine too, why fix what isn't broken). When it came to planning future events, you all overwhelmingly gave a statement that went something like this "It doesn't matter as long as we can all do something together". Which is kind of cool. I didn't expect that.

In order of number of responses, events that Refugi would like to see take place in the immediate future are:

A new RP - 6 responses
Artemis - 5 Responses
A Team Fortress 2 game session - 4 responses
Cards Against Humanity - 4 responses
AIMHack - 3 Responses
Some kind of Minecraft Group Event (1) or Building contest (1)
A RadioRefuge Show (1)

There was not enough variety in the geographic location question. We didn't want to make people feel like they had no privacy by asking for specific states and, as you might imagine, just about everyone registered as the US.

As far as "What is the purpose of the Refuge and what does it mean to you?" I didn't ask that as a way of saying "tell us how much you love being here". No, I wanted to toss that into this census because since 2008/2009, we haven't really had a good set definition of what we do and what our purpose is. Because I like data (obviously), it would be cool if I could quantify that, even though I knew it would be very unlikely I could get that to happen. I was wrong.

Over 70% of you, the same percentage that answered "yes" to "Do you consider yourself a Refugi?", gave a response that was along the lines of this mashed-up collection of response quotes:

QuoteCalamity Refuge is a small, but open community where I connect to awesome individuals that would other wise make communicating hard. It has an aspect of being a "Chosen Family", or unrelated people that act in all respects like a family, especially for those who would otherwise be without one. This place was and is a "refuge" for me, when I am in unknown territory in life. This was and has always been a place I can come back and seek shelter. The Refuge is a place for camaraderie, friendship, a place to share sorrows and successes and be free of judgement and, above all, to have fun.

That sounds like a pretty good purpose to me.

That is all.

#6

Refugia / Refugia Council Records

October 16, 2021, 03:40:51 PM

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The Admin Tower

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Tower Archives

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Refugia Council Records

2019

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Delegate

Refuge Isle

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Culture

Sinvald

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Sylh Alanor

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Foreign Afffairs

Tslonia

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Áthidill

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Subadent

Operations

Merzbach

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Chacapoya

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2020

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Delegate

Refuge Isle

Sylh Alanor

Alangolla

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Sylh Alanor

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Culture

Sylh Alanor

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Refuge Isle

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Foreign Afffairs

Subadent

-

Sylh Alanor

-

Operations

Chacapoya

Refuge Isle

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Chacapoya

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Interior

Melenavenia

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2021

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Delegate

Sylh Alanor

-

Culture

Refuge Isle

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Sylh Alanor

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Lethodus

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Foreign Affairs

Sylh Alanor

Pantala & Pyrrhia

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Chatula

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Operations

Chacapoya

Indimu

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Feu de Glace

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Chacapoya

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Interior

Melenavenia

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Araine

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Laisou

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Michelland

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World Assembly

Junitaki-cho

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Sylh Alanor

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Dacay

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2022

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Delegate

Sylh Alanor

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Culture

Lethodus

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Djorner

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Foreign Affairs

Chatula

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Sylh Alanor

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Operations

Chacapoya

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World Assembly

Dacay

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Minskievian Refugees

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Last updated April 21 2022. . .
Report all clerical errors to the local authority. . .

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#7

WARZONE / Match L: Smitty Werbenjägermanjensen | Ikou

September 28, 2021, 03:08:41 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/SmittyFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/IkouFinal.png[/img2]

Smitty Werbenjägermanjensen

Age:	(possibly) 111 years old
Strength:	#1
Agility:	#1
Wits:	#1
Spirit:	5
Magic:	5
Affinity:	#1
Command:	10 (the army of the living dead
Luck:	#1

Ikou

Age:	19
Strength:	0
Agility:	3
Wits:	6
Spirit:	6
Magic:	8
Affinity:	0
Command:	0
Luck:	2

• Cute
• Fire Lizard
• Not very skilled
• Some fireballs maybe!

Ikou is a smol lizard from a village in the Empire. They are attending magic school, so they're not very good at spells yet, but the true fire was the drive they felt inside themselves all along!

Results

Smitty Werbenjägermanjensen

0

Ikou

0

#8

WARZONE / Match K: Bob from Accounting | The City and County of Denver

September 28, 2021, 03:08:36 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/BobFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/DenverFinal.png[/img2]

Bob from Accounting

Age:	57 or 58, he forgets
Strength:	2
Agility:	2
Wits:	2
Spirit:	2
Magic:	0
Affinity:	2
Command:	5
Luck:	10

He's going to complain to HR once he gets back from this, this was not the all-expenses-paid vacation to Cancun he was promised. At least training has helped untweak his back that's been out for a month.

The City of Denver

Age:	163
Strength:	0
Agility:	0
Wits:	4
Spirit:	10
Magic:	2
Affinity:	0
Command:	5
Luck:	4

Picturesque views
Plentiful Hiking Trails
Robust Volumes of the Working Poor
Impenetrable wall of bumper stickers
Blucifer

The city of Denver is a happy metropolis of yuppies recently invaded by three banks from New York City. There is a gateway to the underworld beneath the Denver International Airport, accompanied by smooth country guitar. Each Coloradan is accompanied by at least two Californians.

Results

Bob from Accounting

0

The City of Denver

0

#9

WARZONE / Match I: Socko | Waldo

September 16, 2021, 08:25:23 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/SockoFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/WaldoFinal.png[/img2]

Socko

Age:	Ageless Eldritch Abomination
Strength:	0
Agility:	0
Wits:	10
Spirit:	0
Magic:	5
Affinity:	0
Command:	10
Luck:	0

He's finally found a home on someone's hand other than Bo Burnham. Unfortunately, that person is CEO Entrepeneur Born in 1964 Jeffrey Jeffrey Bezos
... and he has to pay rent on said hand.

Waldo

Age:	34
Strength:	1
Agility:	10
Wits:	2
Spirit:	1
Magic:	1
Affinity:	5
Command:	4
Luck:	1

"Hey! You there! Have you seen Waldo?" Because I sure haven't."
"Waldo wha?"
"Wow, wow, Waldo."
"Waldo ever."
Yes. That is them. The imfamous Waldo. Just when we think we've found them, they disappear again.
Not only that, but they also change their name when they go to a different country. Wally in Britain, Waldo in USA, Vili in Hungary, Volli in Estonia and then they go to Serbia, call themselves Jura and not only haven't we lost Waldo, we're lost ourselves. So sharpen your eyes and focus your pencils, because we're going to find Waldo. Arguably the second most important question in the universe after the one to which only the answer is known:
"Where's Waldo?"

Results

Socko

0

Waldo ✔

█ █ █
█ █ █

3

#10

WARZONE / Match J: Jeb Bush | Dot's Variables

September 16, 2021, 08:25:20 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/JebFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/BeesFinal.png[/img2]

Jeb Bush

Age:	4 months
Strength:	0
Agility:	0
Wits:	0
Spirit:	3
Magic:	7
Affinity:	0
Command:	10
Luck:	5

Not to be confused with the former governor of Florida and second son of the late former US President George H.W. Bush, this is just slime in a bag made in the last few days of a senior's time in high school in chemistry.

Dot's Variables

Age:	9 Months
Strength:	0
Agility:	10
Wits:	5
Spirit:	0
Magic:	10
Affinity:	0
Command:	0
Luck:	0

• Versatile and Flexible
• Available instantly and without foresight
• Highly venomous string
• Can handle more traffic than Qingdao
• Can cast anything

While most variable naming conventions are sensible and oriented to their scope, why not just send the bees? There's no end to the practical application of bees, and its appearance in over 150 invocations as a variable in Dot's code prove this definitively.

Results

Jeb Bush

0

Dot's Variables ✔

█ █ █
█ █ █

3

#11

Refugia / [Draft] Dissolution of the Interior

September 10, 2021, 11:55:21 AM

Dissolution of the Interior

Recognising that the Councillor of the Interior seat was created by the passage of RRS 6, Definitions and Responsibilities of Regional Councillors, for the purposes of integrating new members into government,

Observing the text of RRS 6(e) to presently state:

The Councillor of the Interior, whose responsibilities are defined as facilitating Regional engagement through communication with and polling of Member States and residents.

This Councillor shall:

Recalling, the position has existed for some eighteen months and has been populated by a Member State since its inception and into the present time, however:

Perceiving the prevailing interpretation of RRS 6(e) to start and end with periodically, posting welcome messages into the Regional Message Board, an elected office appears not required for such a role,

Whereas the office does not appear able to retain its occupants' attention with a responsibility as light as this,

RRS 6(e) and all of its subsections are struck from the Refugia Revised Statutes and removed from extant law.

RRS 10 shall be revised to state the following:

Elections:

10. The succession of the Arch-Administrator is subject to the succession laws of Refuge Isle, and verified by the presence of an anchor stone and Administration Tower. The Arch-Administrator will call elections for the four democratic Council seats according to the following convention:

Operations	Feb 1 - 7	Jun 1 - 7	Oct 1 - 7
Foreign Affairs	Feb 8 - 14	Jun 8 - 14	Oct 8 - 14
Culture	Feb 15 - 21	Jun 15 - 21	Oct 15 - 21
World Assembly Affairs	Feb 22 - 28	Jun 22 - 28	Oct 22 - 28

Authored by: Refuge Isle
Seconded by:

#12

WARZONE / Match H: Generic Furry Avatar | Something, Etc.

September 09, 2021, 05:32:47 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/FurryFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/WalrusFinal.png[/img2]

Generic Furry Avatar

Age:	Immortal; un-aging
Strength:	3
Agility:	4
Wits:	3
Spirit:	3
Magic:	3
Affinity:	3
Command:	3
Luck:	3

Main attribute: being generic
Bright fur color will partially blind friends and foes alike

Due to the multitude of furries that they represent, they have no impressive strengths or major weaknesses
Seems to always keep left eye closed but at the same time appears to be unaffected by only using one eye to see

Something, Etc.

Age:	19 idk ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Strength:	10
Agility:	0
Wits:	0
Spirit:	3
Magic:	2
Affinity:	1
Command:	4
Luck:	5

Size matters. We're incredibly stupid. Also slow. But we can smash. We also either hate rocks or love rocks. You are all rocks. We could be wrestlers. We might have even killed some..err, rocks. This may or may not be a way for me to put a walrus in without feeling awfully boring.

Results

✔ Generic Furry Avatar

█ █
█ █

2

Something, Etc.

█
█

1

#13

WARZONE / Match G: Iris | The Local Library

September 09, 2021, 05:31:15 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/IrisFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/LibraryFinal.png[/img2]

Iris

Age:	17
Strength:	0
Agility:	4
Wits:	5
Spirit:	2
Magic:	6
Affinity:	4
Command:	3
Luck:	1

Owner of three tea dragons (Ginger, Aby, and Ocha) they can't fly or breath fire but they got teeth!
Wields a nice wooden staff
Healer in training
Precious
May seem stand-offish when you first meet her but she's really a sweetheart!
'Clearly a main character'

Nobody messes with her dragons.

The Local Library

Age:	at most 368
Strength:	0
Agility:	0
Wits:	10
Spirit:	5
Magic:	4
Affinity:	0
Command:	2
Luck:	4

Your local public library is a wonderful and welcoming place to connect to your community, learn facts about the world, use the internet for your convenience, or just find a fun book to read!

Our librarians are happy to help you find things, or even give recommendations! Your local library takes pride in happily enabling both independent and community enrichment for everyone!

Results

Iris

█
█

1

The Local Library ✔

█ █ █
█ █ █

3

#14

WARZONE / Match F: Death | The Pyramids

September 01, 2021, 06:03:36 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/DeathFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/PyramidsFinal.png[/img2]

Death

Age:	Not applicable
Strength:	0
Agility:	2
Wits:	0
Spirit:	2
Magic:	10
Affinity:	10
Command:	1
Luck:	0

Likes cats
Humans confuse him
Magic (living) horse named Binky
Scythe sharpened with sunlight, ambient glow caused by splitting molecules

Would really prefer not to be the personification of death, but it's got to be done. He's more real than both time and material reality, so can teleport and time travel as necessary.

The Pyramids

Age:	More than enough
Strength:	0
Agility:	0
Wits:	0
Spirit:	2
Magic:	10
Affinity:	2
Command:	10
Luck:	1

We are pointy.
We are sturdy.
We are not stoned, We are the stone.
And no, not the rolling stone.
Here we stand, because here we were built.
Before we fight, make sure you have your sarcophagus commissioned, your shroud of the dead, the mask and the book.
don't forget the book.
And maybe you'll get to return as a mummy, if we so command.

Results

Death

█ █ █
█ █ █

3

The Pyramids ✔

█ █ █ █ █
█ █ █ █ █

5

#15

WARZONE / Match E: Wood Block | Grit Whetstone

September 01, 2021, 06:02:04 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/WoodFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/WhetstoneFinal.png[/img2]

Wood Block

Age:	4,561 years
Strength:	5
Agility:	0
Wits:	0
Spirit:	0
Magic:	6
Affinity:	0
Command:	7
Luck:	7

• Made from Mahogany
• Loud and commanding
• Inspirational

This wood block was created 4,561 years ago in Mesopotamia as per the inscriptions on the backside. Its history has been recorded in paintings, carvings, texts and photographs.

The wood block was at many historical events such as the Battle of Thermopylae and the Apollo 11 moon landing. All media featuring the wood block do not depict a player, only the block and mallet acting on their own.

Truly an instrument any bard would be envious of.

Grit Whetstone

Age:	At least 75,000
Strength:	5
Agility:	1
Wits:	1
Spirit:	1
Magic:	5
Affinity:	5
Command:	1
Luck:	6

Wetter is Better!

0.01 micron, roughly. Gets very wet. So smooth. Makes pointy things pointier. Doubles as a brick, I guess. Probably because it's a stone. From Japan. I don't know where. Maybe Sapporo.

Results

Wood Block

█ █
█ █

2

Grit Whetstone ✔

█ █ █ █
█ █ █ █

4

#16

The Admin Tower / Argo is Now a Mod

August 30, 2021, 04:04:47 PM

After pleading on my knees for months, nay years, on end for Argo to lend their galaxybrain spirit to our scant amount of moderation, they finally accepted this afternoon.

Hooray!

I have every confidence that Argo will be awesome and amazing as a global moderator, and be empowered to help take care of us in times of crisis and do whatever weird ideas come up about how to positively pass the time as we all get through life. Just as they have been awesome since they arrived.

#17

WARZONE / Match D: Orkz Orkz Orkz Orkz | Mike Ehrmantraut

August 22, 2021, 01:07:43 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/OrkzFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/MikeFinal.png[/img2]

Orkz Orkz Orkz Orkz

Age:	ORKZ DON' 'AVE BIRFDAYZ, BUT DA BIGGA' DA ORK, DA OLDA' 'E IZ - AND WE'RE ALL BIG
Strength:	9 ORKZ IZ TUFF
Agility:	4 ORKZ IZ KWIK
Wits:	0 ORKZ KANT GET WIT OTHAWIZE DA SHOOTAZ' DON' WERK
Spirit:	3 ORKZ ONLY LIV FOR DA WAAAGH!!!
Magic:	0 WE DON' GOT NO ODDBOYZ 'ERE
Affinity:	2 OUR SHOOTAZ, STABBAZ AN' CHOPPAZ ALMOZ' ALWAYZ WORKZ
Command:	1 ALL DA BOYZ GOT IZ EACH OTHA
Luck:	6 WE GOT 'ERE WIFOUT DYIN', AND IF ORKZ FINK IT, ORKZ KAN DO IT

WE ORK BOYZ ARE 'ERE FA' ONE 'FING AND ONE 'FING ONLY: TA PRUV DAT WE ARE DA BEST AT DA SHOOTIN' AND DA BOOMIN' AND DA STABBIN' AND DA CHOMPIN' AND DA STOMPIN'. TA DO DIZ, WE GOTZ OUR SHOOTAZ DAT GO DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA DAKKA, OUR BIG BOOMAZ DAT MAKE DA BIG BOOMAZ AND OUR KLOZE KWARTAH KOMBAT WEPUNZ DAT GO STABBA STABBA, CHOMPA CHOMPA AND WHACKA WHACKA.

ONCE DA BOYZ PRUV TA ALL YOUZ PUNY HUMINZ AND ANIMULZ AND OBJEKS DAT WE IZ DA MOS' POWAFU', WE IZ GON' KEEP LOOKIN' FA' OTHA' TINGZ TA FIGHT. KOZ DAT IZ WAT WE ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ ORKZ DO. WE JUS LUV TA FIGHT.

Mike Ehrmantraut

Age:	76-81
Strength:	1
Agility:	1
Wits:	8
Spirit:	0
Magic:	0
Affinity:	6
Command:	8
Luck:	1

Michael "Mike" Ehrmantraut is one of the most dangerous men west of the Mississippi. Whilst his old age hinders his strength and mobility, he makes up for it with his calm manner, voice of reason and cunningness. Mike knows the criminal business inside out and can easily outwit his opponents, and can flex his strength and brutality with his legion of foot soldiers and cronies under his command, in addition to his prowess with weapons. Don't expect mercy from this man: he doesn't do half measures.

Results

✔ Orkz Orkz Orkz Orkz

█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █

8

Mike Ehrmantraut

0

#18

WARZONE / Match C: Christiano Ronaldo | Male Pattern Baldness

August 22, 2021, 12:56:00 PM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/ChristianoFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/BaldnessFinal.png[/img2]

Cristiano Ronaldo

Age:	36
Strength:	10
Agility:	7
Wits:	0
Spirit:	0
Magic:	0
Affinity:	5
Command:	2
Luck:	1

Cristiano Ronaldo, the peak of human strength and physique. A 36 year old in a 20 year old's body, CR7 has no problem turning his opponents into mush. A lightning on his feet as well, being able to jump over mountains just to head the winning goal. Don't underestimate his ball control skills though, one free kick and everyone in Row Z gets annihilated.

Male Pattern Baldness

Age:	21 and up
Strength:	0
Agility:	0
Wits:	0
Spirit:	6
Magic:	0
Affinity:	5
Command:	8
Luck:	6

• Affects as many as half of all men around the world
• Men have a 25% chance of getting it at the age of 21, 40% chance at 35, and 50% chance at 50
• Can be psychologically distressing and affect self-esteem
• There is literally no reason for men to go bald it is so pointless everyone hates it so much

All men live in fear of it.

Results

Cristiano Ronaldo

█ █ █ █
█ █ █ █

4

Male Pattern Baldness ✔

█ █ █ █ █ █
█ █ █ █ █ █

6

#19

Refugia / [Passed] FA Councillor Statement on Meihua

August 21, 2021, 04:58:13 PM

Statement on Meihua

Refugia,

Tradition indicates that Refugia views its respective embassy regions as allies, aligned in values and culture, bound in friendship and a shared sense of purpose. In these relationships, the expectations are relatively casual. Our primary goal is the continuity of our communities and the peaceful coexistence with our neighbours where these values are shared. Although we aspire to these long lasting and harmonious friendships, through the inevitability of communities' rise and fall it is not always so.

The region Meihua is one of our older standing embassies, despite our minimal contact with the region. Indeed, it is indicative of the benefits of doing no harm. However, when this embassy was forged on February 12^th 2020, the region was at its all-time high of eighty nations and seeking to improve. Instead, however, the region became locked into a steady decline that it has not found the ability to escape from. The cause seems to correlate to Lukatonia's resignation as Chief Elder on February 1^st of that year.

The population has steadily fallen from eighty nations to its present state of fifteen, with the last nation casting an endorsement reaching its end as well. Ashaie's two and a half year delegacy has come to an end, and without another World Assembly native in the region, she cannot be replaced. It now appears to be regrettably time to retire this embassy and hope their community may one day recover and return to promising future that it once knew.

Until such time, under RRS 11(e) as the Acting Councillor of Foreign Affairs, I am initiating a region-wide referendum to determine the fate of this embassy, RRS 6(b)(iv).

- L
Refuge Isle
Arch-Administrator

#20

WARZONE / Match B: Agent 47 | Waluigi

August 21, 2021, 11:26:18 AM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/Agent47Final.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/WAFinal.png[/img2]

Agent 47

Age:	60
Strength:	5
Agility:	5
Wits:	5
Spirit:	0
Magic:	10
Affinity:	0
Command:	0
Luck:	0

Very shiny bald head
Weapons of choice are a newspaper, a briefcase, and your family's prized vase
Bends the laws of physics for the sake of the mission
Most premier ~~magician~~ assassin around

Agent 47 is an assassin whose background absolutely no one cares about. He has been known to divert from mission objectives to either knock everyone in a 100 sq. mile radius unconscious, visit the beach, or steal cars. But when he DOES focus on the mission, he's the best assassin money can hire. It is suspected that Agent 47 is really a magician who has mastered all the possible secrets of magic, but now spends his life spinning briefcases around corners and taking on assassination contracts. But this remains unverified.

Waluigi

Age:	26
Strength:	6
Agility:	3
Wits:	6
Spirit:	2
Magic:	0
Affinity:	0
Command:	6
Luck:	2

Very tall
Strong legs, will dropkick anyone who gets in his way
Assist trophy support
Amazing dancer

After 11 years of standing on the sidelines as merely an assist trophy, Waluigi is ready to make his enemies wah.

Results

Agent 47

0

Waluigi ✔

█ █ █ █ █
█ █ █ █ █

5

#21

WARZONE / Match A: Film Noir | Keanu Reeves

August 21, 2021, 11:23:52 AM

___ [img2]https://wiki.calref.network/images/thumb/c/c8/Ambox_notice.png/40px-Ambox_notice.png[/img2] ___

Information

Write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out. The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended.

Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/FilmFinal.png[/img2]

[img2]https://calref.network/bracket/cards/KeanuFinal.png[/img2]

The Abstract Concept of Film Noir

Age:	90
Strength:	2
Agility:	8
Wits:	10
Spirit:	0
Magic:	1
Affinity:	4
Command:	0
Luck:	0

Influential genre dating back to the mid 20th century
Excellent deductive reasoning
Disembodied narration
Second-hand suits

The letter drifted under his door like smoke off the last drag of a fading cigarette; it had almost as many creases as he did. There was nowhere left to run. He had to figure out what happened to Jackie, and who had the jewels, but they were already closing in. A fight was looking for him, and it had 20/20 vision.

Keanu Reeves

Age:	56
Strength:	5
Agility:	5
Wits:	2
Spirit:	7
Magic:	0
Affinity:	5
Command:	1
Luck:	0

Thinks you're breathtaking
'Whoa'
Only person on earth who deserves dogs
(Don't touch the dog)
A man of focus, commitment, and sheer will

He's kind. He's generous. He knows uncountable ways to kill you. He looks like he doesn't age, because he doesn't age. He won the love of literally everyone. He's Keanu Reeves.

Results

Film Noir

█ █
█ █

2

Keanu Reeves ✔

█ █ █ █ █
█ █ █ █ █

5

#22

WARZONE / WARZONE: Overview

August 21, 2021, 11:20:05 AM

.

This is a limited time event. While it is too late to lodge an application in the character battle now, you can still vote in its polls and contribute to the battle lore.

WARZONE

Have you ever wondered why we greet people as The Largest Warhammer 40k Discussion Forum on the Internet, yet were not in fact the largest Warhammer 40k Discussion Forum on the Internet??? Well now we have decided to become exactly that.

The madness has arrived! All of the banishment spells that have been cast in Dot's sus game have ripped open a portal in space-time and teleported us to the far future where there is only war. Joining us on the stage of history is a tale of souls and swords, eternally retold. As the cry rings out for champions in these dark hours, we are joined by those brave enough to have answered the call.

[floatleft]

Socko	Waldo	The City of Denver	The Local Library	A Block of Wood	Death
Jeb Bush	Agent 47	Google-Chan	Dot's Variables	Ecclesia Catholica	Bob from Accounting
Orkz Orkz Orkz Orkz	Film Noir	Cristiano Ronaldo	Waluigi	Ikou	Grit Whetstone
Male Pattern Baldness	Smitty	Keanu Reeves	Generic Furry Avatar	Something, Etc.	Iris
The Pyramids	Mike Ehrmantraut	Revali	Winston Churchill	Raziel Luis	Hunter Leptk
Ibuki Mioda	Margaret Thatcher

[/floatleft]

The Battle of All Things

Join me in the newly-minted Warzone board, where a truly objective determination will be made about our champions. Except the objective is destruction.

In the Warzone board, you will be able to observe the bracket of matches we will be working through over the course of the next three weeks. The bracket is gloriously located at the top of the board and provides up-to-date information on characters' current standing. If you believe the bracket is out of date, give the page a refresh in case it is a caching issue. The bracket features the approximate match dates by section, but specific match dates are in the calendar below.

For each match, there will be a thread posted in the Warzone board. In each thread, you can write up an example of a battle in any form you choose. Be as elaborate or as simple as you wish. Be analytical and methodical or fanciful and storylike. Whichever you like best. Then vote in the poll to reflect how your match has turned out.

The results of the poll will determine the outcome and a canonical shitpost will be developed which expresses that result. You are not required to write a battle post to vote, although it is recommended. Votes will only be displayed after the poll closes.

Prizes

As of this moment, every player who turned in applications to the character battle will receive

5,000 for each application submitted. However, now the goal is to get your character to survive these pseudo RP popularity contests. Prizes for longevity will be distributed according to these divine revelations:

Surviving the Round of 16 25,000
Surviving the Quarter-Finals 50,000
Surviving the Semi-Finals 100,000
Winning the Battle of All Things 250,000

Prizes stack and are awarded for each character's progression

Any player whose character survives to the Semi-Finals, will receive a forum badge for their championship in the Warzone event: [img2]https://calref.cc/boardbanners/warzone.png[/img2]

.

Disclaimer: We are not the largest Warhammer 40k discussion forum on the internet.

#23

The Admin Tower / Calamity Refuge Staff Records

August 18, 2021, 01:49:09 AM

AA

Arch-Admin

-A-

Admin

-G-

Global Mod

-M-

Local Mod

-S-

In Absentia

2022

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Gabriel

G

Luca

AA

Emily

A

Natalie

A

Argo

G

Maddie

G

2021

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Gabriel

G

Luca

AA

Emily

A

Jens

G

Natalie

A

Argo

G

2020

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Gabriel

G

Luca

AA

Emily

A

Jens

G

Natalie

A

2019

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Gabriel

G

Luca

AA

Emily

A

M

Jens

G

Natalie

A

2018

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Zoe

G

Nikki

G

Luca

AA

Aran

A

Emily

A

Jens

G

Aratoop

G

Natalie

A

2017

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Zoe

G

Nikki

G

Luca

A

Aran

A

2016

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Zoe

G

Gabriel

G

Nikki

G

Luca

A

Aran

A

2015

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Zoe

A

Gabriel

G

Luca

A

Aran

G

Dantius

G

2014

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Zoe

A

Gabriel

G

Luca

G

A

Aran

G

2013

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Zoe

A

Nioca

G

Gabriel

G

Luca

G

Aran

G

2012

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Jewels

A

Zoe

A

Nioca

G

M

G

Gabriel

M

G

Sudanna

M

Luca

G

M

S

G

2011

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

S

AA

Jewels

A

Zoe

M

A

Nioca

G

Gabriel

M

Sudanna

M

Luca

G

2010

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Jewels

A

Zoe

M

Nioca

G

Gabriel

M

Sudanna

M

Luca

G

Ackrovan

G

2009

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Vergil

A

M

Jewels

A

BainIhrno

M

Zoe

M

Nioca

M

A

G

Gabriel

M

Nikki

M

Sudanna

M

Hellspawn

M

Luca

M

G

Ackrovan

M

G

2008

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Sylae

AA

Vergil

G

A

Jewels

G

A

BainIhrno

M

Zoe

M

Nioca

M

Gabriel

M

Nikki

M

Sudanna

M

Hellspawn

M

Luca

M

#24

WARZONE / [FULL] The Battle of All Things Applications

July 23, 2021, 07:15:11 PM

WARZONE: The Battle of All Things

[floatright]Demonstration App:
[/floatright]
A Terrible Storm Approaches

You can hear it thundering across the sky, and it's not just your upstairs neighbours dropping more bowing balls onto the floor. No, just as it did before, the drums of war thunder once again (and everyone is invited). Although we recently determined the winner of the ultimate fight of the century, pedants from the internet have arrived to inform us that a century starts and ends at "20" in the procession. As it is presently 2021, that means we have guilt-free permission to subject more hypothetical beings to unreasonable brutality.

Starting now and lasting until August 21, I'm accepting character applications. What kind of characters might you ask? Oh...whatever. Whatever character you think is good and interesting to submit. It's hard to imagine a character that might be rejected. It's all about what YOU want to see in the the upcoming showdown: The Battle of All Things. Want to see Commander Puretide square off against Elon Musk? Done. How about Obi-Wan Kenobi versus An Actual Hurricane. We can make it happen.

Each character gets 25 points. Use these points to fill out your character's stats to develop a better concept of their strengths and weaknesses. Not every stat will make sense for every situation, but we'll do our best. You may put no more than 10 points into a stat and all stat points must be spent. Stats are as follows:

Strength: How physically strong your character is. Useful if you need something big put somewhere else.
Agility: How fast someone is able to move and/or how nimble they are.
Wits: The intelligence and/or the cunning of your character.
Spirit: The character's general life, initiative, or endurance. For undead or elemental characters, this stat is interpreted literally as their supernatural manifestation.

Magic: How powerful the character is at abilities that could be considered arcane in their respective universe.
Affinity: The general expertise with which the character wields their chosen physical weapon.
Command: The ability to summon aid and perform combat through the use of proxies, such as a military or robotic allies.
Luck: It's not clear what the character is, does, or is good at, but things just seem to work out for them.

In the end, we will add up all of the stat points and that sum becomes the character's general combat potential!

"But Luca, if we're required to spend all the skill points and they're all worth 1 each, doesn't that mean all characters have the same combat potential?"

Yes, you have grasped the very nature of The Battle of All Things. Every character has equal potential to win in a match-up, no matter how unlikely it is. Could an orange defeat Elizabeth the Second, where ever object bearing her likeness is an additional combatant? Yes, absolutely. The purpose of the stat points is for flavour text, so you are 100% freed up to make whatever creative ideas you have as your character submission without worrying about a meta.

Application Rules:

Turn in an application which has your character's info, all fields required.
Spend all 25 skill points in your desired fields, put zeros in unwanted stats. No more than 10 points per stat.
Give an energy colour for the character. Could be something as simple as "red" or it could be a hex code.
Include some sparknotes about your character. What do they do, what are they like, what are their greatest tools or abilities?
You must include some kind of image for the character. Ideally square, or it will be cropped to be square. Use the forum attachment feature if you do not have a URL to your image.

You may turn in up to two characters and have approximately one month to do so. If you have a discord account, make sure that it is posted in your forum profile if you would like a stimulus cheque. Each application (up to two) will net you a

5,000 payment out of the gate when this event starts next month.

The more interesting your character selection is, the better an event we will have. Just try to pick something recognisable. Post applications or questions in this thread, more details on The Battle of All Things next month when it's go time. May the best character win

Witness This Legendary Character App Template:

Code

[sidebar][background=#0173B7]   [centre][colour=#FFFFFF][size=18pt]NAME HERE[/size][/colour][/centre]   [/background]
[img]https://calref.network/post/placeholder.jpg[/img]


[table][tr][td]Age:[/td]

[td]AGE HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Theme Colour:[/td]

[td]THEME HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Strength:[/td]

[td]STR HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Agility:[/td]

[td]AGILITY HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Wits:[/td]

[td]WITS HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Spirit:[/td]

[td]SPIRIT HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Magic:[/td]

[td]MAGIC HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Affinity:[/td]

[td]AFFINITY HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Command:[/td]

[td]COMMAND HERE[/td]

[/tr][tr][td]Luck:[/td]

[td]LUCK HERE[/td]

[/tr][/table]

[hr]

FACTOID BLIPS[/sidebar]

Admin:

[floatright]

Processed Apps:

Bob from Accounting
Ikou
Socko
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ecclesia Catholica
Death
Denver
Something
Iris
Mike Ehrmantraut
Agent 47
Bees
Furry Avatar
Wood Block
Film Noir
Whetstone
Waluigi
Jeb!
Revali
Keanu Reeves
Google-Chan
Orkz
Pyramids
Smitty
Male-pattern baldness
Your Local Library
Waldo
Winston Churchill
Raziel Luis
Hunter Leptk
Ibuki Mioda
Margaret Thatcher

[/floatright]

[floatleft]

Backlog:

None :)

[/floatleft]

#25

The Admin Tower / Dot - How Does

July 10, 2021, 01:01:09 AM

Notice!

This thread is obsolete and no longer maintained. For information regarding Dot's documentation and operation, please see the new dedicated site, Dot.CalRef

https://dot.calref.network/

Dot!
Calamity Refuge's own Multi-Purpose Discord Chatbot

Overview

The name "Dot" had been a testing account that I've used to check forum permissions since 2014, with the name being based on Halo Reach's AI by the same name. Dot as a Discord bot, however, was created in November of 2020 and has a much more human persona. Originally, she was created to provide the Calamity Refuge Discord server with a NationStates endotarting feature. As you would expect, this is the one feature I have not bothered to write yet. Instead, she takes over a number of functions that our previous chatbot, Ligrev, provided until 2018. Dot is written in python and hosted on CalRef's "Hydrogen" server in Toronto.

Currently we're on version 2.10, and development is pretty constant. You can follow my updates and project progress by keeping up with the CalRef Development Journal.

Because Dot has picked up so many features and abilities for a variety of needs, this thread now serves as a more comprehensive How Does and help thread for these functions. Generally, Dot's commands can be broken into the categories below. Click the [more] link attached to each category to be taken to the post which has detailed information on the commands therein. CalRef-only commands will only trigger on our server, and are denoted with our flag:

Invite
Invite Dot to your sever today with this handy dandy [Invite Link]

Commands

Dot's command prefix is "I cast". If you forget what commands there are, you can simply say I cast commands to bring them up.

[floatleft][more][/floatleft]

Server Commands

[tt]avatar[/tt] - Allows you to see a requested user's avatar, or your own.

[tt]info[/tt] - Information about your Discord account, or another's.

[tt]roster[/tt] - Displays the total members who have a given role.

[tt]rotate[/tt] - Allows you to "adjust" the server icon, for some reason.

[tt]server[/tt] - Tells you information about your server or another one.

[tt]timestamp[/tt] - Provides the exact time a given message was sent.

[floatright][more][/floatright]

Admin Commands

[tt]prune[/tt] - Clears the last X number of posts from the channel.

[tt]set f[/tt] - Toggle the F autoresponse.

[tt]set farewell[/tt] - Configures a message to notify when members leave.

[tt]set nods[/tt] - Toggle the *nods* autoresponse.

[tt]set recruiter[/tt] - Designates a role for members authorised to do NS recruitment.

[tt]set welcome[/tt] - Configures a message to welcome members to the server.

[tt]spin up/down[/tt] - Activates, rotates, or deactivates server invites.

[tt]vanquish[/tt] - Immediately kills Dot if an admin notices a critical error.

[floatleft][more][/floatleft]

NationStates Commands

[tt]GAR/SC[/tt] - Gives a passed World Assembly resolution.

[tt]nation[/tt] - Gives you information about an NationStates nation.

[tt]recruit[/tt] - Call for aid in your manual recruitment endeavours.

[tt]region[/tt] - Gives you information about an NationStates region.

[tt]save[/tt] - Builds an archive of a region's RMB and history.

[tt]slackers[/tt] - Locates WA nations in a region not endorsing a target.

[tt]telegrams[/tt] - Displays how many queued telegrams are in the pipe.

[tt]timer[/tt] - A feature to make the least of your telegram cooldowns.

[tt]top endos[/tt] - See who has endorsed the most in a given region.

[tt]truesight[/tt] - Displays the real score of a dispatch downvoted below 1.

[tt]WA[/tt] - Shows the current World Assembly vote status.

[floatright][more][/floatright]Economy Commands

[tt]bank[/tt] - Displays the bank information of the member or another member.

[tt]buy/sell[/tt] - Exchange planets and stock in the stock market.

[tt]give[/tt] - Donates planets to another member.

[tt]infinity[/tt] - A charity agency rewriting spacetime and destroying evil.

[tt]stocks[/tt] - Displays all stock information from the Refuge Securities Exchange

[tt]study[/tt] - Look at historical trend data for all available stocks.

[floatleft][more][/floatleft]

Misc. Commands

[tt]colour/color[/tt] - Spits out a big bright display of a hex code.

[tt]fortune[/tt] - Randomly selects your fortune. Limit 1 per day.

[tt]roll[/tt] - Rolls dice, size and quantity determined by the user.

[tt]sus[/tt] - Opens Dot's Among Us minigame.

[floatright][more][/floatright]

Additional Features

[tt]autopins[/tt] - A democratic way for members to pin "important" messages.

[tt]message credit[/tt] - Provides rewards for member chat activity.

[tt]log-in/log-out[/tt] - Allows members to come and go, but retain their roles.

[tt]nods[/tt] - Expresses agreement when agreement is expressed.

[tt]autoresponses[/tt] - Dot responds to praise, scorn, pings, and thanks.

[tt]F[/tt] - Joins members in expressing appropriate condolences.

Deprecated

I haven't really been tracking what all has been taken out, but I seem to recall the following things which are no longer things:

[tt]90s[/tt] - A feature which provided timely posts of the 90s music video.

[tt]changelog[/tt] - Which allowed you to see my own running changelog to monitor Dot's progress. This has been moved to the CalRef Development Journal since April 12th.

[tt]regular test[/tt] - One of the earliest commands to see if the bot was on.

[tt]catscan[/tt] - Which parsed the nation dump to receive classification stats on regions' population. May come back, not sure, would need to be rewritten from scratch.

[tt]help[/tt] - This thread does that now, rather than trying to fit all of this text into a discord embed.

[tt]euro[/tt] - This seasonal event ran from June 23 to July 10, 2021 and allowed for UEFA Euro 2020 match betting. [demonstration]

Sponsors

Haha, we don't do those - get rekt

#26

General Discussion / [Gallium] The 2021 Minecraft Server God Bless

April 07, 2021, 06:09:52 PM

Hello and holy hell, it's been a year and a half since the last Minecraft Server.

Today, we have a new one. It's call Gallium and it runs 1.16.5 which is approximately the latest version that I am aware is available.

At the time of this writing, the server runs the following mods:

Biomes O'Plenty
Chisels and Bits
Just Enough Items
Dawsons Gravestone
Fairylights
Pam's harvestcraft crops
Pam's harvestcraft food core
Pam's harvestcraft trees
Serene Seasons
Straw Golem
Pam's harvestcraft food extended is currently tabled, as something was breaking with this mod and not all of them appear to be on the same version. So we'll check back later.

This modpack is presently available on Technic, and you can download Technic here. When you launch Technic, type "Refugia 3" into the search bar and click install. If you get an error message that talks about incompatibility issues, make sure you're on the latest version of the modpack.

You can adjust the volume of RAM this hellish device is consuming by selecting the cog in the upper right and selecting an option that's higher than whatever it comes with. This Modpack runs best on 64 bit Java. If your device is consumed by baelfire, consider downloading that version upon its next reincarnation.

After you launch minecraft you may direct your vision to the multiplayer button and add a server with a name of your chose. Please direct that server address to minecraft.calref.network and press save. Please report all errors to the local authority.

If you have a device that runs on magic and find yourself thinking "Heavens to Betsy, I wonder if there could be more RAM to be consumed." Fear not – there can! You can view the world through the lens that's showcased in this screenshot through the use of Optifine and a shader known as Sildur's Vibrant shaders. I use the "high" version, but you may of course experiment with different things.

To use these two tools, navigate to the Refugia 3 install and enter the mods directory. Paste the Optifine jar file into this directory and return to the Refugia 3 install folder, one level up. Here, create a new folder called "shaderpacks" and paste the zip file of the vibrant shader pack into it.

Finally, to turn it on, open Minecraft and go to Options --> Video Settings --> Shaders and click on that zip file. If you cannot find a zip file in the options, you have pasted the file incorrectly. If you do not see the option for Shaders, you have pasted the Optifine file incorrectly.

In the future, more mods can be added once they are properly tested and I will update the Refugia 3 modpack accordingly. For those of you who need it, anyone is free to use the minecraft server and build their assorted base on it. We have normal sane non-griefing rules and violators will be IP banned to the liberal votes dimension.

You can use this thread to talk about bugs and suggestions, as well as a general discussion for your exploits in this server, if you wish it.

Happy mining!

#27

General Discussion / Into the Stocks With Ye

April 07, 2021, 05:58:08 PM

G'diddia,

Dot's going to get an Economy Update in the near future. Included in this update is going to be the ability to buy and sell virtual stocks with your virtual planets. At the moment, I can think of enough data sources to simulate eight unique stocks that all behave markedly differently from each other. Without giving away what these models will be based on, I have collected summaries for how I think they will behave, located below.

What I would like from you is names! Any kind of names. Right now this stuff is in my project files as "Model G", etc. That's no fun. So, if you have ideas that come from IRL, some local business, something from your favourite RP, or just something based on yourself, give a suggestion below. You can toss in an option for any or all of the following models. The suggestions that look the most interesting will be added in the economy update.

Here are the model ideas:

Model A
Long-arc loss/gain trends with possible, though infrequent, sudden spikes and drops (usually favouring the current trend direction).

Model B
Very long term, gradual peaks and valleys. Seems to favour certain seasons.

Model C
Classic stock-like fluctuation, but without the exponential growth. Seasonal rises and falls are around +/- 25%. Follows actual markets.

Model D
Generally weekly trends, with sudden changes possible to appear and be corrected in a single day.

Model E
Slow and steady rise, and has never been known to drop.

Model F
Generally long term gains, but with occasional nose-dive setbacks.

Model G
Reliable seasonally-based trends.

Model H
Chaos.

Please be sure to not only provide a name suggestion, but a description or tagline and a stock symbol to go with it. The anticipated behaviour descriptions will not be added, so write whatever you want in the description or tagline instead. For example:

QuoteModel A:
Tim Hortons Inc (THI)

"A place to buy and sell people named Tim Horton. Try our world-class Tims at Tims!"

Have a blast.

#28

Refugia / Safety and Integrity of Conflict Journalism

March 26, 2021, 01:11:40 PM

Wartime Journalism Protection Act, and campaigned that it should be repealed and replaced. At the time, the author of that target resolution appeared as though they would take up the task of replacing it. That fell through. Another prolific contributor to this chamber began work to rreplacement, but that fell through as well.

As a result, I will take up the assignment to see that it is done, and done with quality.

[align=center]Safety and Integrity of Conflict Journalism
A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.
Category: Education and Creativity |Area of Effect: Free Press[/align]

The General Assembly;

Observing that, in times of unrest, a scrutinising media provides a safety net for civilians in conflict's path, not only by keeping them apprised of dangers, but by holding leaders accountable for what atrocities might otherwise be concealed,

Recognising that, while operating in close proximity to a conflict zone is perilous, a journalist's actions may be the only mechanism by which news of happenings may be returned to international authorities,

Aware of the dangers that conflict journalists face, beyond battlefield hazards, including being specifically targeted for arrest, kidnapping, and murder by belligerent factions or even their own government,

Resolved that it falls to the World Assembly to establish specific provisions which protect these journalists, safeguard their vital function, and assist in providing reports of non-compliance with international law.

May it be enacted that this chamber:

[list=1]

Defines for the purposes of this resolution's clarity:
[list=a]
a "conflict zone" as a battlefield, combat area, or zone where military equipment is employed to defeat, rout, or suppress opposing forces.
a "conflict journalist" as a reporter or a reporter's technical assistant, operating independent of any belligerent faction, and employed in providing journalism from an ongoing conflict zone or its surrounding area.
an "act of espionage" to mean reporting which is done under false pretences for purposes of benefiting one or more belligerent factions, except to uphold international law.
an "act of warfare" to mean capturing or killing of combatants, the intentional damaging or destruction of equipment and vehicles engaged in the conflict, or the transportation of personnel or supplies for a party of the conflict.

Declares that conflict journalists:
[list=a]
are classified as civilian non-combatants, afforded the special protections of this resolution.
are permitted to carry out any journalism that is not an act of espionage from or near a conflict zone.
reserve the right to carry defensive weaponry, and protect themselves should they come under attack.
are prohibited from accessing military facilities, except when invited by the owner or controller of the facility.

Prohibits member nations from:
[list=a]
disallowing conflict journalists access to a conflict zone and freedom of movement within it.
undertaking retaliatory action towards conflict journalists in response to unfavourable press coverage, or fear thereof.
detaining conflict journalists solely to limit their access to the conflict zone.

Establishes that the deliberate use of a conflict journalist as a military target shall be illegal and considered a war crime.
Clarifies that any conflict journalist who proactively engages in an act of warfare or act of espionage will be considered a "hostile combatant", exempt from the protections of this resolution, and unable to be considered a civilian in the conflict.

Some Notes:

Research seems to indicate that one area of protection that's most lacking, IRL, regards journalists reporting wars and turmoil from inside their own country. Things like civil wars or violent protests, things that may not necessarily be called a "war" by the local government for legal convenience, but where reporting may provide the same substantive benefits to the affected population. For this reason, it's best to base this resolution not around war, itself, but on conflicts that function like them.

The phrase "conflict journalism" seems best defined by the use of military equipment, since civil wars will also obviously be using that. Some of the massive protests observable in recent times have also been met with deployment of military-like equipment. If this causes nations to alter what equipment is being deployed, that would certainly be an improvement.

Conflict journalists are intended to be observers of the conflict and not direct actors in it. Therefore, there are clearly laid out expectations for when one no longer enjoys the rights of a protected-status-civilian, and becomes a combatant instead. The draft is both mindful of journalists who are fired upon not being coerced into losing their protections, while also not being able to work on behalf of a belligerent under the shielding of this text.

A journalist that dies as a result of the hazards in an active war zone is of no concern to me, for they have the independent agency to choose this line of work, knowing what perils are involved. There is no need to restrict their consent to risk any more than there is to restrict someone becoming a soldier solely for its similarly inherent dangers. I understand the complaints about this concern from the previous two attempts to legislate on this topic, but I will not entertain them in this thread. Consequently, nations may not restrict a journalist's ability to traverse the battlefield at their own expense.

In a complimentary check, journalists themselves, are not permitted to enter military facilities uninvited, as their presence could hinder military efforts in ways that would ordinarily not reclassify them as combatants. The contents of military facilities also contain little information that would not trigger the acts of espionage check, as well. So it is naturally restricted.

Finally, of note, the specific targetting of journalists for military strike will be considered a war crime. Deliberately using violence against civilians is already considered a war crime, per GAR#317 Wartime Looting and Pillage, but it is worth doubling down, in my opinion. Journalists who would be specifically brutalised, assassinated, and bombed are not targetted because they are civilians, but because they are journalists. So long as we uphold that war journalism provides a vital benefit to civilians in war, it should follow that we also find reprehensible the violent efforts to end that function.

#29

General Discussion / On Minecraft

March 18, 2021, 11:34:17 PM

I really thought we'd be done with this in 2014, but apparently this game still exists. You may remember the last incarnation of a thread about a Minecraft server called Oxygen.

The only thing is that the last version we ran is a bit outdated, and a lot of the mods we were using had their final compatibility on that version (1.12?). So basically all of those are gone and buried. If some of you incredibly knowledgable individuals know of mods or would like to suggest mods in a potential new Minecraft server, please post here declaring your undying love for them in approximately a nearby version to the latest one that's on. I'm given to understand this is 1.17 after about six seconds of research.

If you would prefer a non-modded version of the server, you can declare your undying love for that as well.

Either way, please signal your interest generally. The server tends to be a bit of a pain to set up for the first time, and a little on the expensive side to run, so I'd ideally like to make sure it would be used before I set it up.

Cheers,

- L

#30

Spam / A List of Things the Subject Has Been Set To

March 09, 2021, 08:17:25 PM

No one said I wasn't allowed to do this

Refugia II: Supply-Side Gandalf
Refugia II: Aviary Edition
Refugia II: 2015 Fingers
Refugia II: Coffee and Condemnations
Refugia II: WE'RE the sane ones
Refugia II: Return of the Ponies
Refugia II: Professional H*ckposting
Refugia II: Amirite Mineral Association
Refugia II: Morning is a Choice
Refugia II: Emo Teenage Yoda
Refugia II: Fun Times in the End Times
Refugia II: JOIN THE BEES
Refugia II: Third Year's the Charm
Refugia II: The Steak 'n Shake on I-70
Refugia II: Cartwheeling in FPS Games
Refugia II: democracy pleases the trout lord
Refugia II: e
Refugia II: Vietnam
Refugia II: The Great Starlight Brigade
Refugia II: 32 Sweet Counties
Refugia II: The East Pacific
Refugia II: The Chaos Dimension
Refugia II: Buy My Book
Refugia III: When
Refugia II: Bernard's Odds and Ends Travelling Emporium
Refugia II: Morning is a system of belief
Refugia II: Go straight to foot
Refugia II: Time is a Horseshoe
Refugia II: Ya like jazz?
Refugia II: Temporarily Evil
Refugia II: Gameplay's Retirement Home
Refugia II: PREPARE TO YIELD
Refugia II: 2004 was a trying time
Refugia II: Ace of Kidneys
Refugia II: Skilled in Curses
CalRef II: More Kids Being Named "Microsoft" These Days

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