Five Years of the TSN & Back in to Blogging...

This year, the TSN will celebrate five years since first starting. Over that five years, the TSN RP Community has run a duty shift almost every Saturday - quite an impressive feat! The other evening, I was discussing it with a couple of the officers and looking back through old blog posts. It occurred to me that it has been more than a year since I last posted about the TSN and other developments like the TSN Sandbox, so an aim for this year is to start up this blog again.

Originally, this blog was about documenting my character in the TSN RP Community, and adding in out-of-character posts about the group itself. With the website providing a place to post personal logs in-character, it seems that posting here in-character (unless I create some kind of link across) is fairly redundant. As a result, I think this blog is going to change to being more about the group and what we are up to. That way, anyone reading gets a view of what is going on and how active we are. There has been a lot happen in the group over the past year, and to try and recap it would take time. Instead then, I am going to start fresh and focus on this year. As we are starting a new season in the TSN as well, it makes great sense to cover that and dip back into some key things from the past year or so as they occur.

After standing down for two shifts over the Christmas period, the TSN RP Community is all set to get back to active shifts on the 6th Jan. The two weeks without a shift has given time to be able to tie up all the lose ends for the new Season 9 story arc. This is set to be one of the most well prepared and organised seasons run, with a new mod, updates to the TSN Sandbox and extensive planning of the story arc. Matsiyan, now head of the GM team, has been chief in bringing everything together. He's worked tirelessly and brought together different skills from different officers across the group in order to get everything set for the new season. Matsiyan and I have also worked closely together to plan out the story for the season and the key events. As part of the planning, we have broken down the season into "Episodes", drawing the idea from the way a story is covered in a TV series. Each episode will span a couple of shifts, with all the missions linked to the key events within the episode. By doing this, the aim is to give a clearer path through the season in terms of the story, with the ideas sketched out and key events planned. The episodes still leave a lot of flexibility to adapt and change the story as it progresses, with each episode being tweaked and finalised before it begins, based on new ideas or changes to current ideas. The whole story itself has spun out of ideas proposed by the GM team - a mirror universe story arc which sees the 4th Light Division flung into a parallel universe and trying to figure out how to get home.

Having this approached has really helped to focus building in some key features to the TSN Sandbox too, which is now on version 7. I'll have to do a whole different post about the Sandbox as there has been so many developments with it, particularly over the past month or so. Setting things up for the season has been much easier having an overall plan though. Again, Matsiyan and I spent time looking through the maps and adding or adapting them to link with the story.

Season 9 is set to be brilliant though. At the end of Season 8, the 4th Light Division was tasked with joining ONI (Office of Navel Intelligence) ships on a top secret mission to activate artefacts that had been located throughout Season 8. After they were activated, the Division transited back, but what should have been a routine jump back to USFP space went completely wrong and the Division was thrown across space into a parallel universe.

Now the Division is completely lost. Sensors are offline, navigational systems unavailable, and the ships are severely damaged. During the transit, not only did the space outside change, but everything changed - from the ships themselves to the uniforms the officers are wearing. Adrift and lost, the officers are now working tirelessly to figure out what went wrong, where they are and how to get back.

Bug Fixing: TSN Sandbox V4

Today has been a day of bug fixing. After taking some time off tinkering with the Sandbox, I decided today to get back to work with it and take a look at fixing some of the bugs. The two on the list today - the Progress Indicator and supply ships.

The first has been relatively easy to fix. A couple of variables added and some code enabled and the timers and progress indicators seem to work fine. The GM now has the ability to set a timer from 1s all the way to 5 minutes and 59 seconds. When they start the timer, a small indicator appears in the top right of the map and shows a percentage that increases gradually, reaching 100% when the timer is finished. It is something the GMs have wanted in the TSN RP Community to show the progress of mission events like data uploads or downloads or marine boarding actions, as well as other ideas.

The much trickier problem to solve has been the supply ship code. Within the Sandbox, GMs can spawn two "Auxiliary" ships which can resupply player ships with ordnance. One is a light supply ship with stocks of ECMs and homing torpedoes, whereas the other is a normal supply ship with all ordnance bar P-Shock torpedoes. The problem though was they never seemed to resupply a ship that came within range. After combing through the code numerous times, as well as refining it further, I have finally managed to get it working! Now, when a player ship comes within 600 units of a supply ship and slows to less than 80% impulse speed, the supply ship beings transfer torpedoes up to the player ship's maximum limit. It all links in with some changes I made about a month ago to measure the maximum load of torpedoes on a player ship and it seems to be working.... FINALLY! I am yet to give it a full and thorough testing (the shift on Saturday will be when it can be really tested), but I am pretty certain now I have managed to fix the issue. It all boiled down to this: <. The one little sign that was the wrong way around. There were a couple of other bits that needed fixing, but ultimately it was a simple mathematical symbol!

Now that those bugs are corrected and things seem to be functioning properly again, I think I am going to return to creating systems and new features. The "Fighter" mode for the script still needs some work on it. I am still figuring out the details about how to implement it. For example, how should the players select the system and sector to start in? Should the carrier be stationary or move around with comms orders, like a comms officer directing an ally? Should it be a fully GM controlled mode? 

There are a couple of other modes I want to work on too. The "Patrol" mode is working fine, but can easily be expanded upon and improved further. I also have the "Pirate" mode, perhaps one of the more exciting developments. The Pirate mode puts the player in the role of a pirate or mercenary crew from the Euphini expanse, rather than a TSN crew. It is still possible to explore all the systems in the Sandbox, but all the TSN and USFP bases are enemies. I wanted to add some kind of "plunder" system too, so that the crew could receive some kind of money or reward when attacking ships and I have a couple of ideas how to do this. I was thinking that several 'trackers' on the science screen would work to give crews an idea of how many resources that they have stolen. What I need to figure out is how best to code stealing the resource. There needs to be some kind of random spawn when an enemy ship is wrecked, like anomalies. The Pirate mode links in with the Patrol mode as they both use the "Random spawn" code to spawn in enemies and allies so I can probably work on both at the same time. 

Anyway, that is all for now. Hopefully I can get an update released soon. The last release included a "Vanilla" version which didn't require a mod. It took time to create and I doubt I will release another vanilla version. Instead, I am going to focus on the TSN RP version, with a quick change to the ship names for the normal release. To really get the full effect of the Sandbox, it needs to be played with the mod. Without it, there are so many functions lost!

New Release: TSN Sandbox V4 with GUI and Vanilla version

Well, the other night I went ahead and made a public release of the TSN Sandbox V4. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been finishing up the GM menus and giving the Sandbox a test. I have taken the opportunity to GM a couple of missions for the TSN RP Community due to a twist in the story that saw me "presumed dead" for a short period. This freed me up to really try out the Sandbox and the new menus. 

The addition of the GM GUI is, frankly, awesome. It is a complete game changer (pardon the pun) when it comes to being GM. They've been incredibly easy to add in to the Sandbox mission script, and really do make GMing possible for virtually anyone with an idea for a mission. Before, trying to GM a mission meant having to read through a key reference guide and then almost memorise the different key presses. I had tried making it easier using some generic meshes in the top corner as a reference of which menu was selected, but it never was particularly easy to use. Now, with menus in plain English, it is a simple matter of point and click! 

There are a few more things I need to finish up for the GM controls, but the majority are finished and give a huge range of things that GMs can do, from spawning new terrain, some of the creatures, to spawning enemy fleets, and special "pick-ups" like lifepods and black boxes. Most of the code was simply used from the previous Sandbox version, with the main difference being the addition of the menu buttons. The final part of the main menu system I am working on is the "Interactions" menu. This will give GMs different options to directly affect the player's ship. So far I have added in options to; repair or damage all the different ship systems, like primary beams, sensors and maneuvering; add or remove 100 units of energy at a time; add or remove one piece of ordnance at a time; add or remove damcon teams; and send pre-scripted messages. I am still finalising how the sub-menus are set up - I am thinking of using the same set up as the "Enemy" menus where a drop down select is enabled and disabled.  

With this release of the TSN Sandbox, it was also suggested releasing a "Vanilla" version, that worked without the TSN Expansion mod. With a couple of hours work, I was able to change or remove the code linked with the expansion, and so release a version that will work with the standard Artemis 2.4.0 game. I haven't removed the menus linked with the Expansion, instead I have just deactived the events linked to the button presses. Hopefully, with the ability to access the TSN Sandbox on the standard Artemis game and see all the additional options for alien races, it will inspire people to try out the TSN Expansion. I have packaged the whole thing together into one zip file so it is all there and ready to go in case players try it. The work that has gone in to the TSN Expansion is awesome. It really does enhance the game massively and I think it is something that players would love. 

Anyway, that is all for now. After finishing the "Interations" menu, the next main focus is expanding on the systems within the sandbox. USFP space is now quite extensive - Krisenda system was recently added - so I am going to focus on creating several neutral systems around Hjorden and expanding the enemy systems. The Stellar Cartography maps are all completely up to date and show how extensive the space is already! Feel free to check them out:

TSN Sandbox and new GM GUI

Over the past couple of days, I have had chance to add more systems to the TSN Sandbox. After talking with Evans, I decided to focus on creating the Volantis system and Waypoint 52. Both were straightforward to add in, and only took a couple of hours work. No doubt there will be some bug I have missed, but after a little testing, I managed to iron out a few issues - mainly transition problems where I had missed renaming a variable.

With these two new systems added, it completes a loop though USFP controlled space. Now crews can set out on a patrol flight and visit several sectors in turn in a complete circuit. This was the main reason for focusing on these two systems. Next, I want to add in some more things to encounter in the patrol mode so that ships can set out on patrol with a GM and have to handle various enemies or situations. I was thinking of adding in some "suspicious" ships - cargo vessels behaving strangely or with strange readings when scanned. These would have to be then intercepted and dealt with by crews on their patrol. I was also thinking of increasing the presence of pirates across all systems so that players are bound to come in to contact with something as they transit USFP space. A patrol may only see one or two contacts, but potentially could come across many more if out for a longer period of time. Combined with the suspect vessels, it should add enough variety for patrols.

There have been a couple of suggestions on the Artemis forums about functions to add to the GM keys. One I am definitely going to look in to is the ability to switch between GM mode and Patrol mode during the mission. There are a few more keys to add in with new enemies from the TSN Expansion too. I was also thinking of something else I could do with the GM console, but don't want to go into that at the moment; it is just an idea, but one that could really be an exciting and engaging addition for crews. 

All this is plans for the future however. I am holding off on doing anything with the GM keys until the release of the new GM GUI that is being added. When it is available, I am going to overhaul all the GM keys so that they use the new menus. I know the changes are really going to make a massive difference to the Sandbox in terms of its usability and personally I cannot wait until I can get started upgrading the sandbox code. 

Other new mission script code that will make a difference and be added when available will be the ship name code. It will allow me to set the ship names in the script, no longer requiring the player to change the names. Both of the additions to the mission script code will make the sandbox much more user friendly and easy to access.

That's all for now!

Personal Log - 231115-2236

The Cerberus campaign is finally over, and we've returned to the Promethean system. Its good to be home.

My quarters are just as I had left them. There was no need to take much with me, though it is not like I have a lot to move; a couple of dress uniforms, stationary, this place is pretty spartan. Its how I like it though.

The sight of shuttles and transports buzzing back and forth through the view screen is comforting. I can almost forget the last few months... so many good officers and crew lost... All told, we lost 137 personnel from our division. Looking through those lists of names, sending letters of condolence to relatives, it never becomes routine.

Now that we're back, the engineers are giving all the division ships a complete overhaul and repair. We can finally fix the combat damage properly, rather than the temporary patches we've had to make. The hulls of the Raven is pretty battered and the number of patches and bypasses to systems is pretty high. I am glad I've got the chance to get her to space dock and fixed up.

There has been some talk from engineering about trial runs with new energy systems too. Something about refinement of the denabite crystals or fusion power exchange manifolds or some such. If everything works as it does in the sims, the power plants on the division ships will be significantly more effective. Of course, there's a big jump between controlled sims in the lab and actual live test runs.

Were back to a fairly normal routine now. Command wants the division to pick up the patrols in the Cronus system again. According to intel reports, the hegemony presence across their border regions has been slowly building. There are reports of several resupply bases being constructed in Erebus system and few of the hegemony patrols have been sighted in the Cronus system. At the moment, we are getting more bother from pirates in Cronus, with hegemony forces not straying far from their own gate. Right now, its not too much to be concerned about though, just a situation to monitor.

Anyway, that's all for now. There is a stack of inspection reports to get through and repairs to authorise. Time to get back to work.

--End Personal Log--

Updates on the TSN Sandbox

I've picked up work on the TSN Sandbox again. I am trying to get into a routine of adding features, though finding the time is the main barrier to working on it. Yesterday, I was able to work on it for several hours, and fixed some issues that needed addressing. 

The patrol mode has been tested a couple of times by the crew of the TSN Raven now and is working as expected. There was a major issue with pirates just not attacking, which I've now managed to fix. It took some work, and required stripping back and rebuilding each pirate's AI commands, but now they will hunt a player down when you enter the sector. 

I'm not sure that I have posted an update here about the patrol mode. I had tried something similar in a previous version of the Sandbox, but found it too cumbersome to build in. After letting the idea stew for a period, I finally thought up of a way to integrate it within the new Sandbox. Basically, the code for spawning and setting AI is all isolated from the rest of the sandbox code, and then triggers in a particular sector activate it. I used a couple of variables cycling to randomly pick numbers and drew on them to set up coordinates as well as spawn chance. I have tweaked the spawn chance to get a decent balance, and think I have managed to get something that is acceptable. 

Within the Sandbox, there are the pirates, kraliens, mixed hegemony fleets, heavier carrier fleets and command fleets. Different enemies can be encountered in different systems and sectors, and where those enemies spawn can be tailored. For example, enemies might spawn nearer a particular sector edge, such a pirates raiding into Cerberus sector 1 & 5, or might spawn at any random location in the sector, such as enemies in their own system. The next phase will be adding in more badlands and then adding in the Unakalhai and N'Tani to roam through them. There was also a request to add in some allied ships too, so I will look into that. I'd like to create some that have small missions built in, for example some with distress calls similar to what would be found in a normal solo or coop game, or some transport missions, picking up supplies. 

Now that it is part of the Sandbox, in testing the TSN Raven has been running patrol simulations (we are still testing so don't want to make them 'proper missions' in case the script breaks) and search and destroy simulations into the Cronus and Erebus systems. Last night in our shift, we entered Erebus to hunt down and destroy enemy command fleets in order to disrupt their operations. The command fleets are small fleets of 3 or 4 ships, one of which is a special command ship (3000+ shields front and back) guarded by two or three other heavy ships (e.g leviathans, goliaths or carriers). For a single ship, they are pretty tough nuts to crack, and usually by the end of the combat, a lot of ordnance has been expended. 

With these kinds of missions though, there has been an issue with the amount of time it takes to get places. Travelling at warp 1 all the way to the Erebus system takes ages, and often a ship has to stop and refuel multiple times on the way, particularly if the engage any enemies along the way. As a result, I've started exploring options on how to address the problem. There were a few different ideas that I was looking in to. One very simple idea was to give ships an infinite amount of energy, but in testing it just didn't feel right. Another option was to increase the energy gained from the FCS to reduce the amount of time refueling, but I felt this wouldn't combat the problem of having to stop frequently or travelling at warp 1. I opened up the discussion on the TSN forums and got a couple of ideas - advanced refuel point to gather supplies, a supply ship, special short cuts to systems, increasing ship's energy reserves - all were ideas suggested. One though was changing the efficiency of systems, something I think someone had mentioned a few months ago. So, I've started experimenting.

In the first trial, we just changed all system's efficiency to 1. In that test, the ships could move around at war 3 & 4 with little issue. At warp 1, no power was used at all, at warp 2, it was used 1 unit over several seconds. Warp 3 & 4 used energy at a much slower rate, but one that was noticeable.  The next change lowered warp, impulse and maneouvre, but increased sensors, primary beams and torpedo systems. Shield were kept the same. In the trails with the TSN Raven, we could use warp 3 to get to Erebus system, crossing 7 or 8 sectors and using about 1/2 our energy reserves, and then attack a couple of enemy fleets before needing to stop to collect more fuel. We found that rather than having to manage energy, we were having to manage ordnance, heat on systems, damage, much more. The engineer reported that without the "downtime" provided by the fuel collection mode, they had to work harder to actually cool and manage systems, and in one of the first simulations, we actually had to abandon ship as we had taken damage to maneouvre systems and lost all damcon teams. 

That is all for now. It has been quite a while since I updated this blog. For the most up-to-date information about the Sandbox, I post regularly on the Artemis forums, so check out the thread. You can download it there too! Oh, and I almost forgot, check out the Stellar Cartography too. It is an interactive map for the sandbox which can be used on any device. It makes for a pretty cool map tool to help navigate around the systems and sectors.

http://artemis.forumchitchat.com/post/tsn-sandbox-v3-7777113?&trail=15

Battle Doctrine

Recently, I have been thinking about some of the strategies and tactics we utilise during GM mission. After a simulation or mission, crews usually debrief then the commanding officers meet briefly to review how the mission went. This often generates discussion and ideas about new tactics and strategies and there is a lot of reflection on the performance of the Division. There is also generally at lot of discussion before and after the shift between the senior officers. As a result, we are constantly tweaking and adapting how we play and making changes and improvements.

A couple of recent discussions and some reading of documents highlighted to me that, though we have developed pretty clear ways of dealing with different situations, tackling enemies and deployments of ships, we have very little reference material or records. Though we have combat orders and fleet attack patterns, there is no guide on when to use them, how they might be adapted, and no guidance either on how to coordinate battle groups and adapt to different situations. We have no document outlining our Battle Doctrine.

Battles doctrine is a term I've heard of before a long time ago, but reading a document recently brought it back to the forefront of my mind. A quick bit of research into the actual definition and usage of the term convinced me it was the thing I have been looking for. Rather than defining what to do in detail, battle doctrine are the guidelines of how to conduct actions, however are not hard and fast rules. As a result,  they don't restrict you to a course of actions,  rather they outline current thinking and approaches to provide ideas on what to do in certain situations. With this in mind, I have started a document to record our current battle doctrines.

The first part I have been recording is our use of scout ships acting as part of a battle group. Over the past few weeks, our campaign has prompted us to establish a new doctrine of using scouts to break up a particular type of enemy formation. This has been what I will describe as a 'Command formation'. In basic term, it has been a group of 3 Torgoth heavies, with massively boosted shields (3000+ in strength) escorted by up to 4 heavy Skaraan vessels,  equipped with anti-torp/mine abilities (as well as several other elite abilities) and again, massively boosted shield (3000+). A single ship would find it impossible to tackle the formation, and it has takes the combined strength and coordination of all ships. The approach, although not new in game terms, had to be more clearly outlined, with the scouts carefully coordinating to lure the Skaraans away, and keep them distracted,  whilst a battle group attacked the Torgoths with repeated bombardments and firing passes until they were destroyed. With the Torgoths destroyed, the Skaraans often leave the battle space.

There are a whole host of other things I want to include, such as when it would be more advantageous to divide ships and when to keep them together. We've also started deploying other ship types, namely a missile cruiser (a modded 'mk2' varient with a close range beam with just enough power to destroy a drone), and this is likely to spark a lot of new doctrine.

Personal Reflections
Whilst writing our new doctrines, I thought about how we do not follow certain ways of thinking. The main one that always used to cause debate was dragging monsters to enemy formations to more effectively destroy them. There are a couple of other things we don't utilise too, or things we do, like providing close escort, that make it more challenging or some may say, makes us less effective in combat. One such situation would be having a ship escort an ally by remaining within 8K rather than combating nearby enemies.

Justifying this to some has always been difficult. A simple thought occurred to me though. There are many who play the game. By that, I mean they search out all the best ways to defeat the hardest levels. All the tactics, tricks and quirks that mean you can defeat co-op and solo games on the highest difficulty settings. I have nothing against people or groups that want to do this. I'm impressed at the research and effort that people put in to this, now and in the past. I've never looked or intended to do this with the TSN RP Community though. The group's aims have never been to play at the highest possible level (level 11 at 300%). We aim instead to create stories, roleplay, to act and behave as TSN officers. It's not about playing the game, but taking part in the story. As a result, our battle doctrine is going to reflect that.

Often, when we've created stuff, we've shared it with the wider Artemis community. Some has been taken and used by others, which is always rewarding to see as we feel like we've made a contribution. There have been times when we have been met with critisism, and sometimes open hostility. I've been caught up with this in the past, trying to defend my position, and fending off insults and critisism seemingly designed to portray us in a particularly bad way. Its only been a vocal few, but it is still damaging to us as a group and personally too. I realise now though, that what we do is for us. If others adopt it, or think it's good, than that is great. But we never force our content on others, and if people don't like it, well who cares, it was made for us.

From a personal point of view, I am starting to share less and less with the wider community. The newest Sandbox is an example. I'm writing it for the TSN RP, and we've been using it for a while now but I've not shared it with the wider community because I've realised, I don't need to (I put out a poll as to who wanted it, felt stung at getting one response, and now realise I shouldn't be and don't really care!) It is all for us; our group; the TSN RP Community players!

For me, it's been quite liberating to feel like I am doing things for the group of people I play with. I know people in our group all appreciate the effort that everyone goes to: in creating a mod; designing and running missions; creating medals and awards; organising the night; running the teamspeak; having a website.... I feel like a weight has been lifted; I no longer feel like I have to compete with others or justify ideas, or see someone take them and critisise and 'improve' them. This is going to enable me to write this battle doctrine without feeling any anxiety over how it might be accepted by others outside the TSN.

I think it also highlights to me how cohesive and cooperative the leadership team of the TSN is as well. I feel confident that we have a shared vision and understanding of the direction we are taking and I respect the opinions and feedback of those in the leadership team.

General Updates and News

It has been a long while since I last posted on this blog. I have had some difficulty with finding time to write, as well as finding something interesting to report. Now though, I feel I have left it too long, and so I will post whatever I can think of that will be of interest to you, the reader.

It seems recently that our numbers are once again beginning to pick up. During our last shift, we were able to deploy five ships with either 5 or 6 officers per ship, as well as one officer on the Command and Control deck (acting as our GM for the mission). This was similar last shift too, with five ships being deployed, the majority having 5-6 officers. Over the years that the TSN has been running, we seem to experience a lull during certain months, particularly in the summer. This is pure observation however, and we have no data to support this. To try and track our numbers more closely, I have taken the decision to have the duty officer enter a number of officers per shift on a simple form, and record and track the data on a spreadsheet. Though it will take time to see any trends, it is my hope that it will show where declines occur and where we have spikes in numbers. From this, we may be able to determine and predict when we are most likely to have lower or higher numbers, and design missions and campaigns around this (for example, if winter months are the more active time for us, then we can have mini campaigns through the summer, all the build up and then a major campaign during the winter).

The Intel Department, responsible for designing and running campaigns, are once again taking us through a major campaign in the Cerberus system. They have in fact designed two story arcs that are running parallel to one another and intertwine, the second story arc taking place in the Cronus system. In the Cerberus system, the 4th Light Division is currently dealing with an incursion by rebel Hegemony forces, under the leadership of a Torgoth general. Those forces are supported by mercenary forces in the form of the Euphini pirates, and N'Tani aliens, also encountered in the Euphini expanse. They are making fantastic use of both the new TSN Sandbox and the TSN mod to create diverse and exciting missions to play through. 

The first missions of the campaign saw the Light Division facing insurmountable odds, fighting delaying actions and evacuating local sectors. Caught on the back foot, there was no option but to withdraw into Cerberus, evacuating personnel and abandoning TSN bases. Our last shift saw the Division deploy in force to disrupt a buildup of enemy forces in a nearby sector. With sensors limited to 8,000 units, the scouts TSN Hunter and TSN Valiant were invaluable in seeking out targets for the other three ships to attack. The Light Cruisers TSN Hawk and TSN Phoenix, along with the Battle Cruiser TSN Raven remain within close proximity of one another for mutual support, coordinating attacks against enemy fleets located and identified by the Hunter and Valiant.

Actions like these are excellent for stimulating new thoughts on strategy and tactics too. One issue that comes up often is how to handle extended combats against enemies. Last shift, we came across an enemy command vessels and its escort. These ships had extremely high shielding. In the combat, it was only possible to destroy one escort vessel, and this required the efforts of all five ships to achieve. The Hunter and Valiant distracted and harassed the other vessels, whilst the Phoenix, Raven and Hawk fired on the escort. It took several minutes of sustained fire from all three ships to weaken the shields of the escorting ship (a Skaraan class vessel), and then a final volley from a scout ship before it was destroyed. The action lasted long enough that the ship's had to disengage to refuel at least once during the combat. This has occurred before, and each time we come across the situation we are able to deal with it more easily than the last. Through these encounters, we have started to formulate a clearer approach to attacking such heavily armoured groups of ships and now have reached a point where a proper battle doctrine is being established to handle future encounters.

Over the past few weeks, there have been a number of promotions of junior officers to senior officers too. The most recent was last shift, with other promotions occurring two or three weeks previous. It is always one of the most challenging decisions on who to promote to a senior officer rank as it is traditional a major step up in the TSN RP Community. Though all officers are encouraged to participate and contribute to the community, when someone is promoted to the rank of senior officer, the focus shifts to the management and running of the community. When promoting an officer to a senior rank, the senior officers discuss and assess candidates of an extended period, and do not make such decisions lightly. To become part of the senior officer team is to become part of the decision making process that significantly impacts the direction of the community. In weekly senior officer meetings, decisions are made on everything from how to run the shift for the night, to who to promote. Over a longer period, decisions by the senior officers are made on wider issues such as promoting the community and increasing numbers, to balancing crews and ranks. 

Building the TSN Canon & General Updates

The TSN Canon
Recently, there was a discussion on the TSN RP Community forums about developing the canon further in our group. It is something that really peaked my interest and there were some valid points made. 

When our old website went down and we switched to a new site, we sadly lost a lot of the content that we had posted, though some was recovered. Since then, the canon on our site has been woefully scant. On the forums, someone wanted to know more about the canon and the universe as they wanted to begin writing personal logs and stories based in the TSN RP Universe. From what I understand, it was to be an extension to playing the game, something outside of the normal shift that they would gain enjoyment from. Personally, I thought it was an excellent idea, and the fact we have little canon posted and accessible was something that definitely needed working on. We have a stable group now, good supportive leaders with development group and well established protocols and procedures. With all this in place, and with the discussion on the forum, it seems an ideal time to make a push forward on the canon in our universe.

At the moment, there is a small group in the community who are helping bring together and write canon for our universe. It is small and select, and much of what is being written is away from the main site. My intention is to have a few people help out establish all the major stuff, drawing on and discussing ideas and suggestions from people in the whole community. This is being made available to people who want to write short stories and personal logs, so that they can use the ideas to build into their writing. When these are published, people reading them will be able to get a real feel for the TSN Universe and the lives people lead, without having to trawl through all the canon information written in the background. By keeping the canon stuff off the main site for now, any tweaks or edits can be done without people having to re-read and possibly get confused. Eventually though, when the canon is refined and established, I want to publish it on the main site so everyone has access. It is a process that I hope will help keep things consistent and mean that ideas are well thought out and fit together. 

The canon itself is sticking closely to ideas from the main Artemis universe, but going into much more depth and including some of our own ideas, like the jump points and jump gates. There is information about general life as a citizen of the USFP from the kind of planets people live on, to the diversity of species that make up the member races of the USFP. There is also a lot of detail on life in the TSN, with particular points about being an officer including training, descriptions of a bridge, the kind of computer systems that are used on a day to day basis, living conditions and many other aspects of life. In addition to this, there is a whole host of information written about the technical and engineering side of ship operations, as well as some science/physics about the jump points and gate systems.

General Updates
With the extra time I have over the summer period, I have had the chance to work on the TSN Sandbox. I am in the process of upgrading it to Version 3. The reason I have moved to a new version number is because some of the fundamental workings of the Sandbox have changed. 

The Sandbox now has "edge-to-edge" transitions. Basically, when all the player ships move to within 1000 of the edge of the sector, a transition occurs to a new, adjacent sector. Originally, there were nav points, but in this new version I have opted to go for the edge-to-edge so that a ship, particularly a solo vessel, could set a heading and effectively move from one end of a system to another without having to turn. With multiple ships, all of them have to be within 1000, so it is a matter of moving in formation, or waiting at the edge until the other ships get there.

There are a few new features for GMs too, including the ability to create the odd terrain feature, like minefields and black holes, as well as a radiation source and a couple of supply ships to re-stock ordnance on long range patrols. 

And that's it for now! I know it has been a while since I last posted; I'll try to post more often as things of interest come up. Thanks for reading!

Updates: The Mod, Communication and Our History

Once again, it seems to have been some time since I last posted. There has been plenty happening in the TSN RP Community, so there is lots to write about.

The Mod
We have been running the mod for the past few weeks during duty shifts, and it has been a great success. To help people who first join us, a team of senior officers have put together an instructional video on installing the mod. Switching back and forth between the modded and unmodded game was also addressed and made simple with a simple enable/disable executable. So far, there have been no problems whatsoever with installing and running the mod on peoples computer, which has been a great relief. The next update to the mod is due soon, with the team responsible aiming to update it on a monthly cycle. This should keep things fresh and allow any tweaks or improvements to be made.

Scout Operations
In my last post, I mentioned about the role of the Scout during combat operations (missions). The operational procedures put in place work well. The captains of the Scout ships in our Division have reported that they are useful in defining what the Scout should be doing at a given time. We are still practising and getting used to using them, however they enable clear communication of the scouts role, quickly and effectively.

In-Game Communications
The new focus on combat operations is communications between ships within the Division. Although we communicate well between ships, allowing us to coordinate ships effectively, there has been some confusion as to who is communicating, and what people on the receiving end can or cannot hear. Sometimes, communications would be bridge to bridge (the captains would talk directly to the channel on TeamSpeak and the target channel). Sometimes though, communications would be sent via Comms Officers using a comms channel (setting up whisper keys to talk only to those on a Comms Server group). The confusion would arise when a comms officer did not know which orders were being sent bridge to bridge (and hence everyone could hear) and which were only sent to them through the Comms Server group.  With assistance from the senior officers, a clear protocol was drafted to deal with the issues.

All ships in the Division are organised into small sub=groups called Battle Groups. These are teams of two ships that operate within an area in the sector (their Area of Operations). Between ships in the same Battle Group, the captains communicate bridge to bridge. This allows for quick communication, particularly in combat when both ships in the Battle Group are likely to be attacking the same enemy.

Each Battle Group has a lead vessel and when there are two Battle Groups operating together, the communication from one Battle Group to another is via the comms officers on these lead vessels. Usually, the messages give particular objectives, or an area of operations, examples include: defend DS2; Area of Operations is Grid A4 through B5; or, rendezvous with ships in Grid E3. Short orders such as these allow flexibility for the leader of the Battle Group to make decisions, but also means the overall commander all the ships knows where the Battle Group is located and what they are doing.

Scouts are organised into a separate group named "Support Elements" and are contacted via comms officers on the most senior ship (usually the flag ship). The operational procedures are used to give quick instructions to the Scout ship.

The Euphini Campaign
The Euphini Campaign is now underway, and is set to be a thrilling adventure. The GM team have really worked hard to get everything set up for this campaign and it is already proving to be a great experience. The background to the story is relatively straightforward - the USFP have sent the TSN into the Euphini Expanse to secure the system for future expansion. The 4th Light Division have been deployed to the system, relieving the 3rd Deep Space Escorts who had gone ahead to set up a base of operations. The thing is, the jump point into the system is unstable - engineers are still working on setting up the gate systems to allow travel to and from the system. This means that the Division is cut off from TSN Command most of the time. Supply convoys can make it through when the point is forced into alignment, but when it is out of alignment nothing can get through.

This all makes for a very interesting story arc. We can't fall back to an established system easily to get ships repaired should they take damage, or to resupply with ordnance, knowing that there is in infinite supply of both parts and weapons. Instead, we have to stockpile supplies and ordnance at our base of operations, the TSAF Asimov. Everything we use - ship parts, ordnance, even energy - drains these stockpiles on the Asimov. If we go out on a mission and come back having used all our ordnance, we are going to very quickly run out!

There is also special equipment that has been added into the mission script to enable us to really explore the area. Probes have to be launched into an adjoining sector to set up a nav point, and it is not until the following week that we can then actually enter it; comms buoys and sensor relays have to be deployed to secure an area; and there is a whole load of other equipment to search for anomalies, mine resources, collect samples from asteroid and much more! We actually have to plan our missions in advance, thinking carefully what to do, which makes for some really amazing game play. It has taken the whole game to a different level altogether.

Documenting our History
During our previous campaign, some of the actions that took place were documented to provide a history of what happened to the Division. Many of the records were left incomplete however, because it was only part way through that we started to record the campaign in more detail. This new campaign is being documented in much more depth though. Mission Briefing documents are created before each mission and given to senior officers and crews, detailing their objectives and summarising the mission. After each mission has been played, there are going to be uploaded to our site and released for any and all to view. Along with these are two written logs - one by the TSAF Asimov captain, and another written in character by me. Finally, there are video logs being kept of the actual missions themselves and uploaded. The intention is to create a really detailed record of the campaign so we can create a real history and look back at all we have done. If you want to check it out, it is all on our website:, under our new 'Campaign History' pages:  http://www.terranstellarnavy.info/campaigns/

Awards and Medals
Some time ago, a system of awards and medals was designed. This gave something other than just a rank for officers in the Division to earn; from ribbons showing years of service, medals for actions taken during missions as well as pins showing someones level of expertise at a particular role. The greatest problem we had though was how to actually give these awards out and allow officers to see and track them. Now, with a new add on to our site, we have a way to award the medals, ribbons and pins, adding them to the officers profile on the site.  This was the missing element, and should help kickstart the awards systems again.

Final Word
The TSN RP Community continues to grow. We have a strong team of officers leading the way, and committed members who make it all worth while. Looking back at where this all began as we approach our 2 year mark makes it clear how far we have come. When I set out to create this group, I wanted to build a lasting community of players, and to train crews who could work together better than any others. There have been ups and downs, times when it seemed that it would all collapse and fail, but the group has endured. It has faltered, but not fallen. Instead it had grown stronger and better than I could imagine. In two weeks time, we will be entering our 3rd year; I wonder what it will bring...

I am looking forward to it though!

Updates; Mod, Training, Website, Scouts, and the Armada (OOC)

Last year, my blog posts were few and far between. This year, I want to make them more frequent. Where possible, I intend to spend a little time on a weekend (probably Sunday as this is after the shift) to add new posts and keep everyone up-to-date on what is happening in the TSN RP Community.

TSN RP Community Mod

Fish Evans and Allard Mo have been hard at work readying the mod for its first release. A few minor tweaks have been made to ship stats to ensure a good level of balance is maintained in the game and to make meshes and skins match up. Allard has worked to smooth out the 3D models and match up the skins to the ships and Fish has focused on tweaking weapon stats. The final test is scheduled for next week, and the release date to the TSN RP Community is set for the end of this month - 31st January. This should coincide with the next major story arc planned out by the Intelligence Department. Many of the new ships and extra features have been added specifically for this, but also make an excellent addition to the game. 

Distribution of the Mod should be straightforward, simply getting people sorted at the start of the shift. The pre-release test gave us ideas on how to quickly get the Mod out to people, and we have plenty of people who can help should anyone have any issued. I have thought over the organisation of it in my mind, and have thought up a plan on how to organise it should anyone have any issues, simply assigning an officer to do a walk through to those who need the assistance. I think it will take very little time to get the mod out.

Public Release of the Mod

One question that has been asked is whether the mod will be release to the general Artemis Community. This is something still under consideration and would have be done in consultation with those who have created the Mod. They are the ones that put all the work and effort into it after all. I personally am in two minds still on what to do. Releasing it will really show people who we are and what we are doing, which is something that can only benefit us. 

I do have my reservations though as things that the RP Community have created and shared are used without reference to where they come from. The one I have seen used most often is the Combat Orders. Although there were crews using orders before hand, it was the TSN RP Community that came up with the formalised Combat Order: Echo, Delta, Omega, Gamma, Theta and people use them without really knowing where they originally came from. It is awesome to hear people who have never played with the TSN RP Community using them though and shows how our group has really influenced others playing Artemis (I don't profess to have influenced everyone of course! That would be rather too big headed of me, lol!)

Training and Recruitment

The Training Department have been working to develop some new training videos of our own. They are also developing new documentation to outline some key protocols and simplify some things for new officers. The aim is to allow officers to join us and settle in quicker, making them feel more comfortable with how we operate. Some who have joined us will have heard and even used our combat orders before and be confident with operating their console, so it is a simple matter of learning our way of working, however those new to the game can sometimes be overwhelmed with this extra learning curve.

TSN RP Community Website

It was highlighted by some officers that, although the website is informative, it could sometimes be difficult to find information and they would have to dig through pages to get what they needed. As a result, I have spent a little time reorganising a few pages, and changing the main navigation menu across the top of the screen. I have added a drop down menu to a couple of the options to allow people to miss out the main page, and jump straight to a specific section. It should mean less digging to find specific information.

The role of the Scout

During the Duty Shift last night (17th January) we were running another mission with two battle groups (Falcon & Hawk, Pegasus & Phoenix) and a scout (Hunter). Personally, when I was commanding the Division I felt that I was not using the scout to its full potential. For a while now, we have have the scout ship conduct "Recon Ops" whenever we make contact with unidentified enemies. This allows science officers on other ships to focus on secondary scans of enemy vessels, whilst the scout gets the primary scan with what we call "visual identification".  This role is well practised now and a simple order "Begin Recon Ops" to the scout sets them off doing this. 

It occurred to me last night that we could expand this quite easily, by coming up with other "Ops" for a scout to complete. At the end of the shift, I discussed the idea with the senior officers, and we developed new "Operational Procedures for Scout Vessels". Rather than Attack Patterns, which are use by Battle groups, the scouts have four "Ops"; Recon Ops, Counter Ops, Support Ops and Defense Ops. These tell a scout and crew what their tasks are to be during the current engagement or mission, giving clearer direction on what they should be doing, but the freedom to operate more independently without needing to check in for new orders.

I want to trial these new "Ops" next shift to see how they work and let command officers get used to them. Hopefully, too much of a new concept as it is simply an expansion of the "Recon Ops" which we have used for a while now.

The TSN RP Community at the Artemis Armada

A number of officers have been discussing the presence of the TSN RP Community at the Artemis Armada this year. Until now, there has been no official 'yes' or 'no' to whether the TSN RP Community will be attending. However, based on the discussions I have seen people have on our own forums and the work a couple of officers have been doing, a small team has developed that are attending, and want to do so as the TSN RP Community. Verok has been leading the way, coming up with ideas such as a bridge set up, contributing to discussion on uniform design and thinking up a promotional video to show people. As a result, he seemed the natural choice to take the lead on this. Having one person in overall charge in this way should give other officers someone to communicate with. 

Final Word

And there we have it, my first Blog post of the year. I hope this has been informative, and thanks to those who read this. If there are any questions or comments about anything we are doing, just comment below. I'll try and address them in future blog post.

The TSN RP Community Mod - Progress! (OOC)

Over the past month or so, we have had officers of the TSN working on creating a TSN Mod (particular thanks to Allard & Fish for working on this!) Now, we have something working and ready for testing!

The aim of the Mod is simple - give more options and diversity by adding new ships and elements to the existing Artemis game. The idea is to add new ships that the TSN can encounter, including allied ships, neutral alien factions, enemy ships, as well as some new generic meshes to use in missions. The focus is mainly on non-player ships and generic meshes, however there is scope for developing specialist vessels for missions, for example a mercenary ship for undercover operations (think ST: Into Darkness - heading to Kronus).

The first tests of the mod have begun! Officers had the opportunity to encounter several new ship types, both allied and enemy ships, as well as use a couple of new player ship. I myself was unable to attend (I had very strong words with my ISP about that!) but from what I heard, the mod was well received. Since then, I have managed to get my hands on a copy of the Mod pack to take a look at some of the ships.

There were concerns that was raised with the Mod pack with regards to sharing and installing the mod; making it accessible to all users no matter their knowledge and expertise. I believe that both these barriers are no longer an issue as the people who attended the first test of the mod all managed to add it to their Artemis game with ease. After going through the process myself, I was surprised how simple the process was - it was just a matter of copy and pasting the files into the dat folder of Artemis. With our team of instructors, new recruits can be set up in minutes when they first join the TSN RP Community. Sharing should be little issue too. By putting the mod in a zip file, it can be uploaded to the TSN RP Community website and shared via a link. If the file gets too large, then Google Drive or Dropbox could be used to share the file, or even simply email people with it. For now, I think both concerns have been addressed and so development of the mod can continue.

Within the mod pack, there are a number of new ships and a couple of modified enemy ships to give more diversity. These are: TSN Privateer (player ship); TSN Missile Cruiser Mk2 (player ship); Crystal Ship (allied ship); Crystal Ship 2 (allied ship); Kralien Cruiser: Drone variant (enemy ship); Arvonian Bomber (enemy ship); Pirate: Arrow Class (enemy ship); Pirate: Axe Class (enemy ship). I have briefly detailed each below:

• TSN Privateer - this ship is designed for specific special operation missions. It is a light and fast vessel, and available as a player ship.

• TSN Missile Cruiser Mk2 - this ship is a more advanced version than the original missile cruiser. On board, it has been fitted with a point defense beam weapon, trading off some shield strength to allow the ship to deal with long range drone attacks. It is available as a player ship.

• Crystal Ship - the crystal ship is an alien vessel, belonging to the N'Tani, a nomadic alien species. It is lightly armed and armoured. It is available as a neutral ship.

• Crystal Ship 2 - this is another N'Tani vessel, larger and more durable, but still only lightly armed. It is available as a neutral ship.

• Kralien Cruiser: Drone - this Kralien Cruiser is a modified version of the standard Kralien Cruiser encountered by the TSN. It is equipped with two torpedo tubes and a light primary beam for defense. It is available as an enemy ship.

• Arvonian Bomber - similar to the Arvonian Fighter, the Arvonian Bomber is equipped with drones, allowing it to conduct 'bombing runs' against a target vessel. It is available as an enemy ship.

• Pirate Arrow Class - a light scout vessel used by pirate factions based in the Euphini expanse. It is available as an enemy ship.

• Pirate Axe Class - a heavily armed pirate vessel used by pirate factions based in the Euphini expanse. It is available as an enemy ship. 

There are other ships in development to be added to the mod, and the ships themselves are still being tweaked to get the balance right in terms of firepower and durability. However, the work that has been done on the mod so far is excellent, and I personally am looking forward to meeting these new ships in missions. New possibilities for mission ideas have been opened with this mod; future development will only make them greater!

The TSN - Duty and Honour

The recent departure of my two highest ranking officers, two individuals who I had held the utmost respect for and trusted immensely, has been a blow that has prompted me to reflect on the TSN RP Community.

What are we? Who are we? What is our purpose? Where are we headed? These are all questions that, although I think on them often, have taken on renewed importance. In thinking on these, the answers have been brought into a much sharper focus in my mind. So.. where to begin...

When I first set out to created the TSN RP Community, I wanted to create the best crews possible. I wanted to take the game to the next level. But what does this mean? To me, it is not about playing the highest level game possible, it is not about finding exploits or loopholes, or using tactics like monster baiting to destroy enemies in the quickest and most efficient way. I have heard about solo players play level 11, and beat it in a scout. And I have no doubt that it is possible. I have seen groups of 4 or 5 ships controlled by 4 or 5 players take on some of the most difficult simulations and win. I have played as part of a crew that are so in tune with each other that hardly a word needs to be said. The experience of the players is so great that the ship almost seems to run itself.

But it is not what I ever aimed to do with the TSN.

The focus of the TSN is, and always has been, on the crews. When it was first set up, a rule was outlined - 'no ship can run if there are less than 4 crew aboard.' This rule underpins everything, and I think clearly shows my intention. The crews come first, because it is about the people running the ships and their interaction.

The rank system was also established from the beginning, and for a reason. It isn't easy to advance through the ranks. Everyone begins at the same level, the lowest rank, and has to prove themselves over a long period to be able to become a higher ranking officer. In the past, crews have wanted to join as their own rank, or people, both experienced and inexperienced, have wanted to command a ship straight away. This has never been allowed. The simple reason behind it is because those who are in command, those who are the higher ranking officers, as those who have proven themselves capable, and shown their clear commitment to the TSN RP. Every high ranking officer is there because they have earned it and have proven experience.

This simply means, the people in charge of crews are the best. They know what they are doing and have been doing it a long time. It is easy to criticise or think they are doing it wrong, but everyone who has tried to fill their shoes soon discover that it is much tougher than they first realise.

What are we? Who are we? We are people who work together to make the best possible crews out there. 

In every duty shift, all crews and command officers work on developing their experience and tactics, yet some tactics are banned. Monster baiting has become somewhat of a controversial issue for example. Baiting monsters and using them to destroy enemy fleets is not a viable course of action. Other tactics, exploiting other aspects of the game are also not used. It is seen by me as a matter of honour. How could a TSN, that is built to protect vulnerable alien species, exploit a space dwelling creature? It is not attacking of its own will, it has been deliberatly provoked, almost coerced, into attacking. Surely this would stand against the principles of the USFP and the organisation given the honour and duty of protecting it. And that is where the problem lies. We are an RP group, set out to create a place where we can play as real officers of the TSN. Yes, there are tactics tgat can be used to decimate enemies. Yes, destroying that enemy that has surrendered, but you know will rejoin the fight, means they are out and will not be a threat again. But then what if other rules? If you want honour and respect, you have to take the tough line of not breaking those rules. It is much harder, but to me much more rewarding and challening, and how I see the TSN working. I want to be a TSN Officer, and to me a TSN Officer is the best example of a member of the USFP. Respected and held in the highest regard. And that must be demonstrated through the actions we take and how we behave in game.

What our purpose? To be the officers of the TSN. To build and uphold honourable principles that are in line with what it would be like to be a real TSN Officer.

So where are we headed? This is the final question which I ask myself. I have a commitment to this group. There have been times when I have considered walking away. I have been criticised by many people for decisions I make, for ideas I reject, or for not moving things on quick enough. But on every occasion, I have reflected on all the things I have done, the decisions I have made and the reasons for doing so. I do not intend to step down. I will not. My work and vision is too important, and I would be a betrayal to all those who have joined and made a commitment to the group. At the beginning, I started with few. We have evolved. What has been achieved so far is something in which I am proud, and to look back on this helps to give a direction on where to go next. There are protocols in place, procedures developed. The next step is having scenarios to test and extend these. A mod is one idea, to add new generic meshes, new possible ships for story lines, and ultimately to create new opportunities. With this, we can move the game to the next level, and the role play element. Port Arthur was an amazing creation by Fish Evans. To be able to have a better stock of generic meshes at hand for such creations would enhance the game even further. Perhaps rather than ask "where are we headed", the question should be "what do we want?" The answer to that would be to add to the game to enhance the experience and create more possibilities to take on the challenges of a TSN crew. It wouldn't be to change the base game, the player ships, or their function, but to add more elements that create more possibilities in story development and encounters.

The Final Word
This has been quite a long post. As it has been so long since I last posted, and with recent developments, it had to be. The TSN RP will keep going. It will adhere to the principles first set out, and the values and aims on which it is based. I will remain committed to running and developing it, with the assistance of those in whom I trust. Those who wish to join, to play as TSN Officers in as true a way as possible, and to be part of the best crews may do so.

New Developments - TSN RP Community (OOC)

It has been a while since I last posted. I had a couple of requests I think, so since I have some spare time I thought I might post an update on all the developments that have been happening so far, and some of my ideas for the future. These are all on the TSN RP Community.  I'll make another post about the TSN Sandbox.

The TSN RP Community is still growing, with new people applying weekly. It seems the recently (this week and last week) during the duty shift numbers have dropped a little to about 25-30 officers attending, but I am putting this down to the holiday season starting. Hopefully it will pick back up again, but even if it doesn't,  I intend to keep going! There is a core of regular officers, and even if it were just these turning up, the quality of play would still be high and worth keeping the community alive for. Besides, there was a similar trend last year I believe, and the community came back stronger.

In terms of new developments, there is a growing team of Game Masters, who have trained on the TSN Sandbox and are running missions and simulations regularly. Over the past month or so, the campaign team, run by a couple of officers, have been designing and running an extended war campaign. They have developed a pretty good storyline, and have added in news announcements that we listen to in the mess hall, emergency actions like having to evacutate the base suddenly and some really excellent scenarios. I want to continue to grow the team of those trained as Game Masters, and have started a thread on the TSN website in the GM forums for missions to be posted. These should give a good set of stock missions that could be picked up and run at relatively short notice.

I am not sure if last time I posted we had the website up and running. www.terranstellarnavy.info is now becoming more established.  We have a number of different  forums on the site for communications between officers, and all applications and communications are handled through there. There is still a lot of information on the wiki that needs transferring over, but during the summer months when I have more time, I want to do a little work on it. The site itself was set up by one of the senior officers, and I will have to make sure they show me the ropes before I start adding too mich in, just to make sure I am doing it right. 

I have been talking over with the command staff bringing back the TSN Corps. The initial idea didn't really take off, and the corps that did get started has stalled it would seem. My idea therefore is to relaunch them with a similar purpose, but less of them. There would be three corps - the Tactical corps, for helm and weapons specialists, the Communications and Intelligence corp, for science and comms officers and the Engineering corps for engineers. I want to hand the responsibility of coming up with role specific commendations to the officers in those corps. They would be required to design the commendation,  decide on specific criteria and then, after the commendation has been approved by the command staff, they would be able to recommend people to receive them. All final decisions would be made by command staff to make sure what is created is done to a high standard, and handing them out is managed. Such awards would be ones that are challenging to earn, and not handed out at the drop of a hat. The aim would be to make earning them all the more significant.

I have not finalised all the details for the new corps yet. I want to create something to track officers who join them, and make it clear how they are to be managed and run. Last time I just offered them out and left them open to be run however officers wanted, and I think that was one factor which caused them to stall. This time, command officers will be more involved, and I want corps to become part of the duty shift... perhaps a corps meeting on a monthly basis at the start, or a time where members of the corps must plan a training mission with  a particular focus in which certain skills are taught. 

And I think that is it. There is probably a lot I have missed out. I will try to post more often with other developments - I am going to use a separate post to talk about the TSN Sandbox mission script later on.

Overhaul Complete!

I have finally completed the work on the TSN RP Mission script (also known as the Sandbox mission script) to create automated Jump Gates and Nav Points. It has been a long and arduous process, and it required a re-write of a number of elements in the script. In the process, I was able to refine some of the script so that in the future, it will be easier to add in new systems and sectors to the map. The script is now all tested, and ready for use (although of course, I will always be adding to it and tweaking it here and there!)

The overhaul has removed the need for client key presses entirely. Although it is something I was reluctant to remove, it has been necessary to ensure that the script works properly. In tests, the client key presses were unreliable. As client keypresses were a requirement to use the script, when they didn't work the script was unplayable. 

The script focuses on the area in which the TSN 2nd Fleet operate. In total, there are 8 systems that can be accessed and two waypoint sectors. Each system has between 2 and 6 sectors, giving a massive number of areas to explore (the whole script has 27 sectors in total). Navigation is through Jump Points and Nav Points. The new jump gates are something I am particularly proud of. They are large rotating structures in space. As you approach, the gate activates, spinning faster until fully online. To enter, you have to fly in to it. The visual effect of such a large rotating structure in space is pretty cool. And all that has been used is generic mesh files and image files from the game folder itself. I have also designed a "Refuel Point" that floats alone, rotating on its axis. When a ship come close to the refuel point, it will begin transferring energy to that ship, almost like a station. It is an alternative to the Fuel Collection System which had to be removed because of the removal of client key presses.

The next phase is going to be adding more features to sectors in the script. I have already added a second sector to the Phoenix system. I am going to further develop the system to make it into a main trading port, with lots of traffic coming and going from neighbouring alien system. Using generic meshes, I will also be able to add in some different "bases" for both visual effect, and to act as points for ships to travel to and from. Osiris system is also going to have a number of additions and will be developed into a 'tourist destination'. From their, the Poseidon Rift can be accessed, a sector that I go into in more detail on the wiki pages.

I also want to start adding in the Mission Packs again. There have been requests for more missions in the Sandbox, and I have a few ideas about one to write. Originally, a crew was able to accept or decline a mission using key presses. Without them though, I am going to have to think of another way to allow crews to pick up missions. One option I am considering is having a "mission waypoint" that broadcasts a message when a ship comes new. The ship could then move into close range to accept the mission, or stay clear to leave it for another time. 

The mission script will be accessible on the Artemis Forums, under the Mission Scripting sub-forum.

The RP Mission Script & Comms Officer to Operations Officer

The mission script, tailored specifically to the TSN RP Community has continued to developed, and is starting to be used more frequently to run official missions. So far, those missions have been relatively straight forward, focusing mainly on invasion style scenarios where the enemy just need clearing out of a sector. Really, it has just been a test of the script to make sure it is all working properly, and so far there have been few bugs encountered. 

The mission script itself is purely a Game Master script. Taking the ideas from the Sandbox mission script, and adapting them to allow multiple bridges to play together, I have managed to create an open sandbox specifically for the RP Community. A Game Master can then add in enemies, allies, creatures, send messages and a number of other functions in order to take the crews through a mission or story line. I took a couple of volunteers recently and showed them the controls for the Game Master console in the hope that soon they will be confident enough and practised enough to run official missions. 

In the missions I have run recently, something that has been sorely missed was the Fuel Collection System. There have been a couple of missions that dragged on due to every ship having critical energy levels and no way to recharge. Until now, I have not included the code as it was only set up for one vessel. Today however, I have reworked the Fuel Collection System code and added it to the RP mission script. Although the code is simpler (the cascading damage effect has had to be removed), the restrictions on speed and shield state still apply, making it something that must be used when the situation allows. I have also moved the activation and deactivation keys to the Comms console.

As I completed writing the code, I realised that the role of Comms officer has been gradually evolving. During missions, they no longer sit passive, relaying standard messages that arrive and have no real consequence or bearing on the mission at hand. Instead, a Comms officer must send out instructions to activate the jump points, selecting the correct gate codes. They are responsible for activating and deactivating the Fuel Collectors. They also have to relay key mission information such as when lifepods are picked up as well as open hailing frequencies for voice communications (the voice comes over teamspeak, but a GM can hold off until the Comms Officer hits the key that puts up the "Hailing Frequencies Open" message). In a recent mission I ran, I also typed in garbled messages that the Comms officer had to decode.

With all the extra work, it means the Comms Officer role is becoming more of an Operations Officer role. There is potential for further expansion on the role too. I have ideas about how to simulate standard outgoing text messages, using a similar system to the GM controls that I developed for the script. I would have to make a few minor alterations to the script and add in a couple of new events, but I think it would be possible to generate a system for a Comms officer to send messages that a GM could then reply to. Simple messages could be Yes/No, but there could also be specific messages for different scenarios, which communicate different things. It would then be possible to play out diplomatic scenarios. Another idea I was considering bringing back was the ability to deploy extra sensors, or activate a sensor sweep. This could give extra information about the local area, or intelligence reports. These are for the future, but there is a lot of potential! 

Cronus System and Transfers

After recent patrols in the Cronus system, it would seem that the enemy precense is being steadily increased. The last patrol, conducted by the TSN Osiris, met with a heavy ambush by enemy forces. It is evident that they are now truely aware of our presence in the system. It would also seem that this is yet another system that the Kraliens will claim as their own, and I am in no doubt that they will contact us soon with surrender demands, or demand tithes in order to transit the system. Neither of these are options that I will pursue.

The engagment between the TSN Osiris and the enemy forces means that an escalation in the defence of the Cronus system will be required. The captain of the TSN Osiris and her crew performed admirably, but had to fall back due to supply issues. They did manage to cripple the enemy fleet enough to allow two TSN Destroyers to be depatched and assist in clearing up the enemy forces.

This recent action has promted me to send a request to Fleet Command for additional support in the defense of the system. I have submitted a request for an observation post as well as more Destroyers and Escorts. It is my intention to deploy a forward observation post in the system, acting as an early warning system, as well as a supply post for any TSN vessels operating in the area. I have also requested authorisation to extend our patrols and explore more of the Cronus system in order to find any links back to TSN space, or links in to Hegemony territory. This will give us a more detailed map of our local systems, and will allow a more coordinated defensive plan to be implemented.

For now, patrols in to the Cronus system will be increased and any patrols will consist of multiple vessels, formed in to a battlegroup. I have a number of TSN Destroyers and some escorts already at my disposal, and the addition that number will hopefully increase.


Back on station, the system for tranfers has been developed further. A Tranfer Request form has been created in order to allow officers to apply for transfers between ships. This will allow officers to gain more experience serving under different captains.

Operating on different crews and under different commanding officers is important for officers who wish to advance in rank. Although all commanding officers are trained to the same standard, each one brings their own personality to commanding a ship. Each one has different strengths and areas of expertise and the tranfers allow an officer to see these and learn from them. It will also allow officers to work with different crews, sharing what they know with other ranking officers, and learning from one another.

Not only this, officers will learn how different ship types operate. Currently we have only Light Cruisers and Battleships, but these ships have to operate differently to oneanother. When we have more ship types operating, differences will become clearer too, such as how a scout operates, or how a dreadnaught operates. Although it is easy to know how they work in theory, in practise it can feel very different.

I am hoping, with an easier system for transfers, officers will take the opportunity to move around crews and gain greater experience.

The Command Staff and Senior Officers

With the Division growing at a steady rate, the work required to effectively manage the Division has also increased. Promethean is now home to almost 100 TSN Officers, and there are 3 fully crewed TSN ships in service, all under my command.

Now that I have a trusted core of Senior Officers, I have started delegating some of the tasks required to manage the Division. The first responsibility assigned was the management of the Officer Records. Each ship captain has an assigned crew, and all those captain have access to their officers' records. The responsibility for keeping them fully up-to-date is now that of the captains. So far it has worked well, and the captains are showing me that I can trust them with such tasks.

There has been an overall general restructuring of the way that Senior Officers work too, particularly those in command. I regard the current Senior Officers as being a "temporary" command staff, in that they are given assigned tasks, or involved in making decisions about the running of the Division. As the number of Senior Officers grows, only a small selection of them (around 5 or 6) will make up the actual Division Command staff. Other Senior Officers will be involved in Senior Officer meetings, which are a relatively new idea to allow regular meetings before a duty shift, however it would be the Command Staff who make the final decisions about the Division.

Until now, much of what I have done to manage and develop the Division has been done solely by me, and I have kept a tight control over the Division. I have always intended giving others greater responsibility, but only to those who have proved to me that they can do so in a way that will not compromise what has been created. The current 'temporary' Command Staff have progressed from cadet through each rank. At each point, they have fulfilled the requirements of that rank virtaully to the letter. They have become close colleagues and proved that they can be trusted with some of the most important tasks. They have not tried to contradict, change or compromise the current systems in place, but instead have given ideas and worked to develop the Division. And when an idea has been dismissed, they have not been deterred, or taken it personally. The trust that I now place in them has been earned over time, and now I hope they can prove that that trust is well placed.

Examinations & Wiki Pages

During the last duty shift, the first Ensign examinations based upon the new training documentation were held. The examinations were challenging for those who took them, but they tested the most essential information that an Ensign needs to know. The process worked well for the Ensign examination, and both the Commanders agreed that it was a suitable way to test new officers.

The examination questions were quite challenging, testing an officers knowledge of systems and roles on a TSN vessel. Although we were not expecting the candidate to answer every question perfectly, we were expecting most questions to be answered to a satisfactory level. After each examination, we discussed the answers given and made a decision based upon how well they had answered, as well as what we had seen of that officer.

With the success of the first examinations, there will be time scheduled to make the examinations more regular, perhaps held fortnightly, or on a monthly basis. It should be possible to examine three to four officers during a duty shift, perhaps more.

Now that the basic training documents have been completed and examinations process established, the next level of documents and examinations can be addressed. These will be the Lieutenant-Junior and Lieutenant level examinations. At this level, officers are expected to begin developing expertise in certain roles. The new Advanced training documents will focus on tactical considerations and more advanced thinking behind the roles; for example, the Helm training document will include details on manoeuvring the ship and tactical choices; the Communications training document will include detail on organising and directing allies.

Testing and training for command roles will differ slightly. At this level, there will be a greater focus on practical experience and coaching from senior officer, looking at more advanced tactical considerations. Examinations will feature less, and observations of the officer will be the main method of assessing their suitability.

I have continued work on the TSN RP Community wiki pages, updating them and organising them clearly. They are almost completely up to date now, however I will continue to manage and alter them to keep them maintained. On the TSN RP Community page, there is a brief paragraph about the RP Community and then four main sections; Getting Started - for new people joining the RP Community; The TSN Universe - giving background detail of characters, systems and technologies; Officers of the TSN - created to provide all the information a TSN officer will need; and finally The TSN Library - collecting together all the documents, handbooks and other written reference material.

Each of these sections are divided in to sub-sections with extensive information for members of the RP Community. They have been carefully presented and organised to make them easy to navigate and find all the necessary information. There are some bits just to finish up, however the majority of the pages are complete. It is my hope that all members will use the pages extensively for reference and that members will begin suggesting additional information to include, or submitting additional reference documents. To ensure consistency in format and presentation, and that information is appropriately organised, the Command Staff will review and format all new submissions for the wiki, before they are added, or authorisation given to them member to allow them to add files and information.

New Recruits, Communications and Fleet Orders

TSN Command reported that a number of new recruits would be shipped out to Promethean to boost our numbers in this system. Now that there is an established core of professional officer, they felt that we could handle the training of larger numbers of new recruits. Last duty shift, I assigned Commander Feltes and Commander Corwin to train the new cadets. With 12 new recruits arriving on a shuttle, there were two full crews to man the academy ships. Both Commanders went through all the basics about how we run things on station with all the new cadets. Although most cadets come with some training, it is our job to show them how a real TSN crew operates. Many have little awareness of the Combat Orders, or procedures aboard station, and this final stage of their training is to ensure that they learn these.

Whilst the Commanders trained the cadets, I took the full officers and conducted simulations to further refine the Fleet Orders and operations. The simulations went well. Lt. Jr. Alice, who I assigned to command the Osiris, quickly picked up the Fleet Orders, and was able to closely coordinate with the Falcon. Due to the Lt. Jr.s performance, I decided to promote her at the end of the evening to full Lt.

The final simulations of the evening saw four ships, the Falcon, Pegasus, Gallant and Osiris, fighting in the same sector. To make things more manageable, we paired off; the Falcon and the Osiris working together, and the Pegasus working with the Gallant. Although the Pegasus and the Gallent were unable to coordinate as closely due to the crews being training crews, they were able to successfully work together in an area of the sector to defend it from enemy fleets. The Falcon and the Osiris, with more experienced crews, worked in close coordination with one another to eliminate a number of fleets.

The simulations were yet another test of the Fleet Orders. Before the simulation, a way to communicate with all the bridges had to be established (until now, we have only had two ships working in a sector). This was discussed with the senior officers and the links between the ships were decided upon. All the captains had direct links to one another on a private comms channel. Each captain also had individual links to each bridge for a more open broadcast. The system worked well as ships could communicate actions clearly on the open broadcast. Captains also had the private channels to discuss finer tactics or issues without having to broadcast openly to the bridge.

With such an influx of new recruits, the Ensign examination documents are being finalised and made ready for the next duty shift. I have started to set up the examination suites aboard Promethean Command, and have been uploading the examination software for the practical simulations. The examinations themselves will include general questions about each role aboard a TSN vessel. There will also be more difficult questions specific to their own area of expertise. For certain roles, the cadet will also have to conduct a practical examination to test their skills.

There are a few cadets who are eligable to take the examination. The requirements are that the cadet must have served in all roles aboard a TSN vessel (whilst on duty), ahave a more indepth knowledge about their specialist area, know procedures on station during duty shifts, have a working knowledge of the Combat Order, and have served on at least 2 -3 duty shifts.  I think I may allow them to put themselves forward for the examination if they feel they are ready, however to pass the examination, the cadet will have to answer the questions, demonstating very secure knowledge. Only those that answer the questions in a satisfactoy way will be promoted to a full officer. It may result in a few failing to meet the mark, but it will also result in the Light Division having the best officers.

I have continued to work on the Sandbox mission script, but rather than focus on adding to the mission packs, I have started to tailor it to meet the needs of the RP Community. I have devised a way to significantly increase the number of GM keys that I can set, and have started working on creating more functions for a GM console. Once completed, I want to run missions using the GM console for the RP community, with missions starting at Promethean Command. With the addition of a number of new systems and a waypoint sector, I have managed to link Promethean system to Atlantis system. I want to add a number of other systems that are not under TSN control; "badlands" which have dangerous anomolies and phenomena (blackholes that bounce around for example); and areas which are "contested" where it is likely that the ship will meet enemies, or where nagotiation missions might take place. I think though, that I will develop the Sandbox script for more for GMs. I'll still write in the odd mission for crews to play without a GM, but I feel that it has much more scope and potential as a GM controlled script.