Skye: Endless Realm

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[skyeendlessrealm]

Dear incredibly unforgettable Skye: Endless Realm Citizens, For years, you have patiently and generously waited throughout our lengthy development of Skye: Endless Realm. You are a truly amazing an…

It is with heavy hearts that we deliver this news to you, our dear and patient Citizens.

[skyeendlessrealm]

We’re on the case: “Mystery Of the ‘Missing’ Accounts”

We should begin this announcement by revealing something that has been kind of a secret… There is a test forum for our upcoming project, Skye: Endless Realm, that has quietly resided at bubbl…

It's been a very long time, and we've missed you all a whole lot! We finally have an update for you... and a confession: we missed a ripe opportunity to name this post and the problem that it describes “A Bubblegum Crisis.” 

[muddymelly]

[Update] - It's been six months; what are the haps*?

1. "How is Skye: Endless Realm doing?" I have once again failed to post regular updates on Skye's social media pages! I definitely owe you all a report for your kindly rapport, which you've been ke...

A small [personal] update (when I owe much reporting on progress) for those patient future-Citizens waiting on the Skye: Endless Realm project!

[skyeendlessrealm]

Before 2014 ends - a Skye: Endless Realm development update

We hope you and yours have had a wonderful and safe Christmas during this holiday season. There’s less than a week to go until we welcome in 2015, and yet Skye: Endless Realm still remains unlaunched. Furthermore, it has been a very long time since my teammates and I last updated you (in August!) or answered your questions*; a progress report is definitely due for you. Thank you for still being there when we went quiet on you.

Alain Leon spent a good amount of time diligently trying to get PSQL, Ruby on Rails (“RoR,”) and Discourse (our forum framework of choice for Skye) to “talk” with each other. Linking databases and inter-database interactions posed some challenges because Discourse’s install uses Docker, which had Alain working within layers and layers of permissions and security. George Jin Zhao aided in logic checking and testing (for the infinite layering of particular Skye item types) and reviewing.  Because of Discourse's [relatively] new way of setting up on servers (through Docker,) everything is within the Docker bubble of permissions while our databases are outside of that bubble. What we were trying to accomplish was writing and reading info within the Docker PSQL database from outside of it - since the way we currently planned to set up the databases (3 tables within two databases) must be able to communicate with each other to sync info. We had to work within a combo of RoR, Redis, and Docker tech and figure out how Discourse sets up its permissions; we found that the way Discourse prefers things set up is that everything else is a plugin for it instead of vice versa, so Alain toyed with different ways of bringing this project node to fruition - such as producing all other elements into plugins for Discourse.

Alain also created three (!) basic builds [two on Ember.js and one on Meteor.JS] of Skye: Endless Realm’s avatar customization screen and inventory - within the efficacious Meteor framework. Included in the builds: in-game currency per user, the basic site layout, customizable male and female avatar bodies & working layering of multi-layer items & interactive item thumbnails. 

Here is an Easter egg for you for reading up till here. Here is a non-publicized temporary test forum on Skye’s network that was created earlier in 2014 for server load testing: 

This screenshot is an excerpt from a message that was sent to a randomized group of your peers (and possibly you who are reading this!) that was asked to test-load our servers, or “spam the forum with numerous posts/pictures/videos/forum icebreakers/replies,” and thereby get to meet their wonderful compatriots who are also waiting for Skye while doing so.  There are wonderful people who are still using this temporary forum!   

In addition to our current documentation and logging on Asana, Trello, Hipchat (a handy Github-integrated team chatting tool replete with timely emojis,) Sagar Biddanda and I established a custom set of internal tools that will help fuel independent training and faster catching up across our growing team.  (Should you have any ideas or suggestions, I would love to hear more about good documentation habits to further expedite our progress. The following is a memorable excerpt I read lately from this fascinating "novella" that Sagar sent me on being an entrepreneur in Japan.)  

  I designed the components and features of the "item_PNGs_submitter," the main tool for submitting and defining item PNGs and their layering behavior (Skye items can be made of only one or several PNGs that exhibit various creative interactions with other PNGs.)  Here are my wireframing materials. Your critiques are very welcomed. A. Here is the list of all item PNG categories in the order that I thought may be easiest on teammates using the item_PNGs_submitter. (Categories determine the behaviors of a PNG - and its layering attributes, such as whether you may wear "infinite" items or only one item from that category at a time.)

B. Here's the same list from a different perspective. I ordered categories by "default layering" this time.

C. A mockup of the item_PNGs_submitter (made with Jotform!)

D. And I designed other features related to the item_PNGs_submitter, such as the submitted_items_archive (see this link for edits and corrections.) 

*One major question has been, “When will Skye: Endless Realm launch?”

We are intently looking forward to hitting Skye: Endless Realm milestones as early as possible in 2015. Therefore... 

... We are expanding our small team with dedicated full stack developers who can work full time to build Skye faster.

Our job listings are still open! You can apply on Odesk, Elance, or Guru. 

One of the first project nodes we're tackling is the item_PNGs_submitter because once this submitter and its related admin features goes live, the art team can be mobilized at the same time because artists' PNG deliverables can be appropriately processed right away by the submitter. Here's some of our discussion so far (thank you so much, George, Sagar, and Daniel Tong for your heady analyses!!)

To the wonderfully talented and patient artists who are awaiting decisions on their applications to Skye…

Here are the screenshots for Skye's belated design manual! I would like to finally finish and publicly release the design manual for everyone's consideration as soon as possible!

To the skillful and generously kind members of #SkyeWorldChangers…

For your review, I wrote a peer-reviewed† contract earlier this year to ensure idea-submitters retain ownership of their sketches and designs, and receive copies of the items based on their designs after Skye launches. The terms of this release form will still remain in place after Skye launches.

†(Thank you so much for your time and thoughts in reviewing this contract, Boua Vahn Thor, Mallory Velten, Stephanie Lee, Justyna Echo Kwiatkowska, Aurelia Wang, Jessica Wang, and George Jin Zhao!)

- A grateful Melissa 

[muscular-horse-blog]

„„s-skye-chan!! skyeendlessrealm

[skyeendlessrealm]

megukalucy-senpai, it is truly an honor to rise up in your fandom and hear your thoughts out. *Keeps a determined gaze upon 1st place* 

- Melissa *^*

[skyeendlessrealm]

I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for following me! I really am honored, I also can't wait for the game to be released! Good luck!!

anechii, it is an honor to get to follow your Tumblin' finds and thoughts! Thank you for being so patient with us responding to your important question on trading!

I am weaving secure trading (includes actions such as make_new_trade and post_open_trade_request_for_wanted_items and make_trade_visibility_limited) into Skye's commerce --

-- and would love to hear ideas of how trading and gifting on avatar-bases sites could be made more secure. anechii, what suggestions would you have for decreasing fraud or scams?

- Melissa 

[skyeendlessrealm]

really glad to see the tumblr in use again! still super pumped for skye

megukalucy, your words are too kind after I let Skye's Tumblr lapse into lengthy periods of inactivity! Thank you for your encouragement and reaching out to us with your positivity, O Lord of the Dance! I definitely owe you and your peers speedier updates with more content, and more dev updates.

megukalucy -- I hope someone reaches out to you today and fuels you like you did us! ::^U^:: <-- Tears of happiness because of your and everyone's warmth

(I apologize for hijacking this post with a letter to everyone) -- 

- An ashamed Melissa 

[skyeendlessrealm]

This is an adorable idea, ask-storm-runner! I love the anxious expression.

- Melissa 

ask-storm-runner submitted:

"well i tried to make something" 

[skyeendlessrealm]

EEEEE!!! Thank you for the follow!! <3

O generous thisinsaneartist, you consistently pass along and create encouraging and witty posts! It is an honor to follow what you put up :] 

- Melissa 

[skyeendlessrealm]

hey, I already submitted the contract with the designs and everything but, i just got a great new idea for some new clothes. what do i do? (im sorry this question probably sounds really ridiculous)

idealawesome, thank you for sending in your designs via the contract -- and your question is definitely not ridiculous, you modest artist, you! :] It would be wonderful if more people were able to appreciate and view your designs if you are comfortable with that happening; therefore, would you like to post your designs in our Facebook group - or on Tumblr, and tag them with #SkyeWorldChanger / #SkyeWorldChangers?

Item designs posted anywhere will all be considered (with the same consideration that item designs submitted through the contract are given! The contract is mostly there to clear up confusion and definitions.) - Melissa 

[skyeendlessrealm]

I will never try to inundate y'all with such a cluttered announcement again! Here are links to the high-res & full-sized images for the sake of your eyesight [links open in a new tab as to not interrupt your Tumblr browsing] -- 

"Skye-ification:" from sketch-to-item. (An example of "Skye-ifying" submitted items from a #SkyeWorldChanger [anyone who would like to submit or request original designs that they'd like to own and see in Skye: Endless Realm!])

Items breakdown 

Items on both female and male bodies

I made a 3rd-party-reviewed contract to ensure idea-submitters retain ownership of their sketches and designs, and receive copies of the items based on their designs after Skye launches; if you feel comfortable with it, please feel free to submit your file(s) through this contract. 

^ Please voice any opinions or thoughts or concerns! My teammates and I are, as always, honored to listen! We read everything you send / post / comment, even if we fail to give you a reply in good time. 

- Melissa (muddymelly) 

[skyeendlessrealm]

[1st image is a] WIP [work-in-progress] campaign artwork (that I'll release on the humanitarian & virtual world social network Skye: Endless Realm, post-site-launch - and after finishing the piece aiya) for the wonderful on-site humanitarian movement and charity Fincas Buenas [2nd image!] -- that has been rapidly beasting progress in various communities in permacultural ways!

Charit, the mascot for Heart Level Up Studios who will live in Skye with y'all future-Citizens, is wearing some of the equipable-items-for-avatars that will be released as part of the campaign!

Currently happening on Fincas Buenas's Guatemalan front --

+ "Provision of fair wages to indigenous Mayan people, and asking them what their community needs instead of telling them" 

+ "Offering a scholarship/work exchange opportunity to a 16 year boy in San Marcos La Laguna, so he can realize his dream of becoming a physical education teacher"

+ "Providing weekly snacks to 500 students in the San Marcos La Laguna primary school."

Please look to co-founderbeast Jay Jackson's dutifully-updated Facebook page for many, many beautiful photos (and stories!) of his & his local team's progress and the Guatemalan communities!!

- Melissa [Skye username: muddymelly]

PS. Slightly-sharper img @ http://muddymelly.deviantart.com/art/WIP-Charit-s-Birthday-2014-Fincas-Buenas-459244969

[skyeendlessrealm]

Dear y'all patient future-Citizens! -- these avatars are wearing various colors of the welcome uniforms for Skye: Endless Realm! I would like y'all to be able to easily toggle between the female and male avatar body anytime; all new users should receive a set of female and male Citizen uniforms when Skye launches (a goal in Skye is to make sure as many items as possible have universal-wear-ability.) 

[firizu]

>u <b Pitching in some item ideas for Skye: Endless Realm! I want to thank the staff for working so diligently too.

———————-

Link to their tumblr: http://blog.endlessrealm.com/

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SkyeWorldChangers

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SkyeEndlessRealm

[jarsrsly]

All the designs I’ve done for possible items in Skye: Endless Realm!

((Bases do not belong to me.))

[tokyodata-deactivated20150208]

I wanna design some stuffs digitally ; w ; I broke my best bud tabby~ but thats not gonna stop me! I’m gonna make some designs traditionally :D //startssketching

[skyeendlessrealm]

TokyoCyberKitty, oh no!! Gooo you for surmounting sad losses of technology, and for working both traditionally and digitally!

Tokyo, if you would like a cheaper Wacom-alternative with stunning reviews (my friends also happily use this brand) -- what about taking a peek at Monoprice tablets? -- (emmyc recommended them as well!) (Ah! But they might not work with some older hardware, sometimes; in these cases, you may end up with a jittering stylus input, which I am not sure how to fix at this moment in time, but Monoprice's customer service seems to be dependable and attentive!) 

Would you please let me know how things go? I hope everything will be okay for you! 

- Melissa 

[jarsrsly]

A pastel-punkish design I did for the upcoming game, Skye: Endless Realm.

I totally based this off an OC design, actually (YES CHLOE IT’S KEITH!) and was inspired to make it at 3 in the morning. Haahah…I really need to fix my terrible sleeping schedule.