Between the time we hosted the last event and today, the network has obtained quite a few new channels and players. A number of these games and players have expressed a deep interest in the launch of another Multiverse event, as have a few of the channels that participated last time.

The next event is currently being planned and will be scheduled to launch sometime in October.

Given the success of the last event and the fact that it was widely appreciated and applauded by those who participated, many things will remain the same, and some changes will be made:

* The game will continue to be run and moderated by the game owners on DarkMyst.

* The OOC channel will be #rpg-hub.

* At launch, we will have a minimal of four in-character channels. This will help prevent the overwhelming chaos that we experienced at the start of the last event.

* More plots, storylines, and quests: Each game on the network will have the opportunity to create their own plot twist, storyline, or quest, and utilize the entire user base of the network. GMs will be able to continue to utilize the portal system to bring the group to a different scene, or if desired, an entirely different world.

* We will continue to offer more mature/adult gaming in a specific channel (upstairs).

* The game will continue to be free form, however GMs will be allowed to use a very basic dice system as part of their plot/quest/storyline development.

Game owners - start thinking of what plots you might be interested in developing! :)

More specific dates and an updated version of the Multiverse website, http://multiverse.rpg-hub.com, will be announced soon.

This website is still very much a work in progress, and was designed as a transitional site for an even better one that will be launched in the future.

DarkMyst is not just a generic network that happens to have a group of role-playing channels established on it. We're a network that has been focused on bringing together and growing the role-playing community for many years as our sole focus, and providing them with the perfect environment and tools to help them prosper. Our unrelenting passion and dedication to this goal over the years has allowed us to build a unique community and operation that has allowed #rpg-hub and DarkMyst to succeed in bringing the IRC role-playing community together and growing it when almost all others have failed.

In closing, #rpg-hub is entirely separate from those communities on other networks. It will continue to thrive, grow your game and be a great place to
congregate with fellow players. Our operations, which include #rpg-hub, will be unique from all others that wish to attempt to follow our example. We will continue to bring you original, creative efforts as we work hard to grow your communities and create a better environment for your game and your players.

The statistics of the first 24 hours of Multiverse are: 110 player characters, 736,565 alphanumeric characters, and 4,816 total posts. Nearly every game on DarkMyst that participated in Multiverse has reported increased interest or growth. At least four people completely new to IRC-based role-playing participated in the event.

Multiverse was not designed to have any kind of longevity and would be better as a special event. Although it was extended, it will not become permanent.

DarkMyst's goal is to help empower the role-playing community to prosper by providing the best atmosphere, helpful tools for locating the perfect game, and by taking steps to allow our communities to grow. However, we cannot be the best destination for role-players unless we provide a community that has a broad base of unique games so that folks can always find something close to what they're looking for.

As a result, one of our top priorities in the coming months will be getting a mid-sized or larger traditional freeform channel on the network.

Initially, we will look for an established freeform community that might be interested in calling DarkMyst home. If you are involved in a community that might be interested, whether they be an existing IRC community, a forum based game, or use a non-IRC chat based system, please let them know that DarkMyst is prepared to make a very generous offer of resources and growth to the right community.

If DarkMyst cannot locate a game within a reasonable timeframe, we will bring together a team of people to develop something fresh. We will be using the full resources of the network to assist the team in the goal of develop a solid foundation.

The type of game we're looking for is a traditional, beginner friendly, preferably tavern-based game that has a freeform foundation but an open-ended, well-developed, and on-going plot.

If you're interested, please approach Ryan on DarkMyst.

Players across all communities and all networks will gather to partake in a single, one-day role-playing event.

Please review the Multiverse Website for further information.

We look forward to seeing you there!

1. Added a new genre setting (MULTIGENRE). This will allow games that have multiple genres to categorize themselves more accurately.

2. New command: /msg RPGServ LIST. This command will send a channel list with all of the channels flagged as role-playing channels on the network. It will be sent exactly like the /LIST command and will only include active (channels with at least one user) and public (non +s) channels.

3. Added the same LIST functionality mentioned in #2 into the SEARCH command. In addition to displaying the channel profile for matching results, a channel list will appear with the channels that match the criteria, making it easier to join them.

With these changes, we would like to stress that all role-playing channels are highly encouraged to get their OOC channel flagged on RPGServ as a role-playing channel. It will open the doors to new players and make it even easier to find. To flag your channel, please join #help. Once flagged, you will need to use the RPGServ SET command to add information about your game.

RPGServ is a search engine service that allows a channel to submit a complete profile about their game including genre, period, ruleset, rating (i.e. PG, R, etc), and systems used by the game (i.e. dice, character approval, etc). It also allows channels to input information about their setting and storyline as well as an overall summary.

This service was designed to work with other existing and upcoming DarkMyst projects to make it easier for new and existing role-players to get engaged quickly and find a game that is a perfect for them. It eliminates the need to have to go through an exhaustive process of searching for channels, joining each one of them, visiting their website and/or observing for hours, and asking questions - all just to figure out if it's remotely suitable for you.

To add your channel's profile to the service, you will need to get your 'out of character' channel flagged as a IRC role-playing channel. This can be done in #help.

Channel mode +P (play mode) will enable the NPC and NPCA commands. These commands were designed for IRC based role-playing but can have many other fun and useful purposes.

The NPC and NPCA commands will allow you to play other characters without having to load an additional IRC client. The NPC command is used to perform a typical message to a channel, and the NPCA command is used to perform an action.

The following two are examples of how the command works if you're using the nickname 'TestNick':

/NPC #test Bartender Welcome to the pub! would result in:

Bartender: Welcome to the pub! (TestNick)

/NPCA #test Bartender collects the empty glass from the bar. would result in:

* Bartender collects the empty glass from the bar. (TestNick)

Text sent using these two commands will have the nickname of the person that executed the command at the end of the message. The simulated nickname will also be underlined.

Channel owners that wish to permanently disable the possibility of this command can do so via ChanServ's SET MLOCK setting.

We would like to extend a special thanks to Namegduf, who brought the idea to our attention. If you have any suggestions of your own, please feel free to email them to support [at] darkmyst [dot] org.

For further assistance with this new feature, please join #help.

1. Dramatically improve the experience for both the brand new IRC user and the regular chatter.

2. Allow our channels to take advantage of the site and encourage their growth and visibility.

A few of the features that you will notice by browsing the site include:

1. A new navigation bar at the top of the page.

2. A completely renovated chat now page, using the Mibbit IRC client. You also have the option of viewing recommended channels or all public channels on the network. Both of these pages include the ability to view a channel's 30 day user count graph.

3. A brand new side bar that is consistent throughout the entire site - you may see things here like network statistics, random featured channels, random tips, network news, or polls.

4. A renovated help and support page. You can now easily find the answer to your questions by typing your question into a search box and it will search our 100+ available help files and find the answer to your question quickly. Alternately, you can connect directly to our #help channel through the website.

5. Clicking on a channel name anywhere on the website will allow you to connect to it via your web browser.

As a result of these changes, we're enhancing the visibility of the communities that use DarkMyst to encourage their growth. If you are a channel owner of a public channel on DarkMyst, we encourage you to take advantage of these changes by maintaining a topic in your channel that describes it's purpose in detail so that curious users will have an idea what the channel is about. To gain even more exposure, you can request that your channel be approved as a recommended channel, provided that it meets our guidelines.

On behalf of the User Experience Team, we hope that you enjoy these changes and check back often as we continue to improve the site even further. We strive to constantly improve the network and your experience in order to create the best IRC network around. Enjoy!