[INITIALIZING BOOT SEQUENCE...]

[[ A Vampires SMP pollblog inspired by @poll-life-smp. ]]

[vamp-pollers-smp]

> Metadata edit: add credit @poll-life-smp

> Load GS program with new parameters

> Loading Early Access program GS 0.3.127

...Ugh. This one always takes a while to load. I guess we talk first and I'll see if it's done booting up by then? I am NOT looking forward to how long this'll take to-- wait hold that thought I can save time right now.

> Admin input from AV_Calypse will load selected programs without graphics. Is this OK?

> Yes

Okay. Now maybe it'll be done by the time we're talking. I'll just get those loaded in separately later.

So! Hi! You saw the username, you can call me a few variations on that -- Mod A, AV, Cal, AVC. Or Calypso, if you feel fancy. I'll cut straight to the chase.

Remember that incident in Oakhurst about... ehh, would've been a little under half a year ago for you? Well, word on the wind is that it's happening again. Isolated little town called Gloria this time.

Now, there's a lot of things we don't know about the... developing situation... just yet. What the place is like. Who's in town. How this differs from the si...tuation back in Oakhurst. Times like these, one person can't cover all the necessary info.

SO! That's where you all come in. Many hands make light work. I set up the forms and the polls, you get me the data that I need and I make sure you get to watch what happens next. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

> GS 0.3.127 loaded. Load all items marked for release?

> Yes

> Loading 3 items...

Great. Let's get to it. I'll explain your options below as they load. If the link's still there, the survey is still up. If it's not I probably took it down for maintenance.

Thanks for your help! See you around.

> 01: Preliminary Area Survey

I can't get to Gloria myself and you lot would not BELIEVE how many contradicting rumors there are about this place. So, what the hell, let's make it worse. Tell me what it's like there. If a lot of people choose one thing, that's probably what's going on.

> 02: Preliminary Subject Survey

Similarly, with nobody in the area yet, there's no way to be able to tell who WILL be there. But maybe you saw someone on the road there, or you're doing some wishful thinking? Having names to narrow down the data from like 200 million people to somewhere in the hundreds or lower would REALLY help me out.

> 03: Third Role Analysis

Whatever's happening in Gloria... I can't be sure it's just vampires. Most stuff you've heard is probably just weird urban legends, but all of it has to have come from SOMEWHERE.

[vamp-pollers-smp]

[[ absolute delight of a message anon, hope you got the right person, thanks for the sensible chuckle :3 ]]

[vamp-pollers-smp]

How's the data collection going?

> Displaying response from user AV_Calypse

Slow going -- but that's the expected pace! I've had to split my time between this and a few other... projects... as of late, so I've left the surveys idle for now. They don't take up too much memory or anything on the systems when the assets aren't loaded in and they're not actively in use.

I am still gathering data though! While all three surveys are open as of writing and all data is appreciated, I would especially like more data for the Preliminary Subject Survey. If I end up loading in any assets ahead of schedule it'll be for that one, because I'd really like for it to have a solid amount of reach.

> Build GS 0.3.217 successfully loaded.

So go ahead, hit me with whatever you've got! Outside of the former fourteen inhabitants of Oakhurst (who are all, ah, indisposed one way or another at the moment) I'll look into pretty much any names I'm given to see if they might end up in Gloria at some point. Never hurts to be thorough, right?

Wishing you all luck. And obviously luck to the potential inhabitants of Gloria. I've got a feeling things will not be as simple here. -AVC

[vamp-pollers-smp]

> Displaying new notice from user AV_Calypse

We've passed the first 24-hour period for these forms being opened. We've nearly doubled the number of area surveys, we've got new subjects in for analysis, and you've all been wonderful help in cataloguing any "third role" sorts of rumors. It'll take me a while to sort through all the data, and obviously we're nowhere near the end of any sort of submission period, but I feel charitable; here's some of the common information thus far!

One beacon location has been consistently identified by roughly 95.3% of respondents. More people have reported the location of this beacon than they have a beacon in the center of the town (81.4% of respondents)!

There are currently 2 instances of duplicate subject analysis forms. One of those two subjects has been analyzed 3 separate times! Must be a lot of rumors around that one.

Out of all the Third Role analyses, there is exactly one combination of roles capable of genuinely "softlocking" the game. That is to say, there is a specific situation where a combination of certain requirements could render the game nearly unwinnable by any party. (For the record, I don't mind that this exists, but please don't actively try to speculate more of these situations. That's my job, and I'd rather not pass it along to someone else! -AVC)

There are also some other VERY interesting third role proposals. A few have already been marked for likely incorporation, but I'm keeping an eye out for more.

[vamp-pollers-smp]

I submitted the time traveller one, and I didn't mean the identity of the person checking would be what determines what the time traveller is identified as, I just meant that maybe the time traveller could be on either team, but if that doesn't work, just have them only be on the human team and I guess either the time traveller or the person they need to save getting turned could be a fail condition (if the clarification about the misidentified as either included my one?)

(or is a third role that acts as more of a modifier for either human or vampire without actually changing their species/powers/etc not really something that could work anyway?)

"Modifier" third roles are a little weird and admittedly not quite what I had in mind, but I'll take 'em. The specific issue comes up when someone's suggesting a distinct role that Vampires think is a Vampire and Humans think is a Human. At that point, when subjects are paranoid enough to start checking, someone mistaken for both isn't going to pass as both for long; I'd need to know how the coin falls when that happens! -AVC

[vamp-pollers-smp]

> Displaying new notice from user AV_Calypse

Hello, everyone. Thank you very much for your assistance thus far. I've noticed a handful of common concerns and wanted to address them at this time. These are as follows:

Wording on Preliminary Subject Analysis has been changed somewhat. Please note that you are more than welcome to submit either more than one subject, or to submit a subject you suspect has been covered by another person already.

A Third Role subject cannot be misidentified as both Human and Vampire (depending on the faction of the person checking). There are enough behavioral giveaways that this sort of ambiguity would be impossible by the time it could be checked.

Third Role Analysis form has been updated with "subject(s)" wording for design question. The actual number of starting subjects with that third role will be manually balanced.

You may select up to two Environments on the Preliminary Area Survey form. This is intentional; not all listed biomes are mutually exclusive. Being able to select more than this would increase the likelihood of mutually exclusive combinations.

The Town Body selection from the same form is intentionally single-choice; most descriptions are mutually exclusive with each other.