Rob

Duriansol

Task Force Academy - Training Events

March 19 2017
The Tactical Department has initiated a training and development program called: Task Force Academy. In a regular period of time, we will be online for a few hours every few weeks. Keep an eye on the TFA group for regular updates. 
Dave (Voleron)

Voleron

Tales of Tragedy Writing Contest

March 15 2017
Quote by Niko
A question, can the story use in game events with the focal point of the tale being how the character (our personal toon) reacted, dealt with those events?


Absolutely, @Niko!

Unknown Person liked this
Cheshire McCaster

Niko

Tales of Tragedy Writing Contest

March 15 2017
A question, can the story use in game events with the focal point of the tale being how the character (our personal toon) reacted, dealt with those events?
nicholasjohn16 liked this

Tales of Tragedy Writing Contest

March 15 2017
My entry for the #TalesofTragedy Writing Contest!

Nick stared down at the flashing red console. The ship was under attack. He grasped a nearby safety rail as it started to shake. Many of his colleagues were quick at  work; managing the sensor array to keep it from going offline, rerouting coolant so the reactors maintained power, or working on shield modulations to protect them from their unknown enemy. Nick just stood there.

What is a geneticist supposed to do during a battle? He was at his station, but aside from someone suddenly developing a genetic disorder, he didn’t have much of a function. For situations like this, Nick had received medical training to act as an emergency medic, but so had most of the other science department. Sick Bay had all the help they needed. While familiar with the ship’s science systems, his other colleagues were far more experienced in the aforementioned specialties than he.

A ship of this class didn’t usually staff a geneticist. The position had only been made available recently.  Up till this point, he’d busied himself by taking on tasks that generally were relegated to a secondary science vessel. After the sector had already been explored and mapped by a more heavily armored and defendable ship, a science team or teams would be dispatched to research anything that was flagged as being of interest to Starfleet or the Federation.

Nick had found some interesting DNA sequences in a Type 3 nebula that had fascinated him greatly. Primordial and similar to DNA found on Earth, they were a mystery that he’d been working on for several months. He also had to sequence the genes and make high resolution scans of plants found on a recent planetary survey. They were to be transferred back to Science Ops for further study. Thus he’d had plenty of interesting work to occupy his time during the mission.

Nick stood there, looking around, trying to find something to do, but his colleagues were already on it. The ship shook. The emergency sirens rang. And seconds later the intercom came on, “Abandon ship.” Nearby screens blinked momentarily, then repeated the order with markings and directional information on how and where to evacuate the ship. The escape pods for this section were just down the corridor; Nick passed them every day on his way in.

Nick and the rest of the crew in his department started heading for the door. As he approached the door he could see Matt and Ginny Beckman talking on the intercom. Their children were up in the crew quarters and were obviously frightened. They were reassuring their children, instructing them to head to the escape pods and telling them they’d be along right behind them. Their children were listening, but Nick could still see the worry in their parent’s faces.

As Nick approached the doorway, he had to make a decision. To the left was the escape pods and to the right was the turbolift. He knew what he had to do; Nick took a right. He grabbed the arm of his Department Head who was standing in the corridor and making sure everyone was well and on their way and pulled him along with him.

“Nick, what are you doing? We have to go!” said Benjamin. Benjamin was a good man. They had worked together on a few different assignments over the years and considered each other friends.

“I’m not leaving without him.” Nick replied as he stepped into the turbolift.

“What? Are you crazy? You can’t even get to the Bridge right now. It’ll be locked to bridge officers only.”

“I know. I need your authorization code” said Nick as he pointed to the turbolift controls.

Benjamin looked up at Nick. His stern expression said it all. If Ben knew anything about his friend it was that when Nick was determined about something there was no changing his mind. Benjamin typed in a quick command into the controls and looked back at Nick.

“Good luck.” and with that, Benjamin headed back down the corridor to check on the rest of the department.

Nick stepped into the turbolift, the doors slid shut and he was rapidly on his way. The ship was still shaking and in the turbolift it was no different. He held on tight to the railing as it thrashed about. He could see from the display that some of the tubes had collapsed, some had been blocked by non-functional lifts, and others were escorting evacuees to the shuttle bay. The trip would not be direct and it would not be quick. Every distant explosion felt like it was at his feet and every moment seemed like an eternity.

Finally, the turbolift came to a stop and expelled its cargo onto the bridge with a sudden stop. The scene on the bridge was anything but reassuring. The Engineering stations had overloaded and were burnt beyond repair. Ducts and wiring had fallen through the cracked ceiling. Unknown gasses were hissing and billowing into the air. Judging by the readouts on the displays that were working, it was obvious the ship was badly damaged.

Most of the bridge crew was missing, most likely already evacuated. On the floor lay Chief Engineer Kopp, she must’ve died when the consoles overloaded. Nick didn’t know her well, but she was a great oboist and performed regularly with the ship band at events. He’d had many good memories with her music filling the air. Nick looked around and found what he was looking for sitting at the Conn.

Jameson was urgently tapping at the console. He had hardly noticed the turbolift, but quickly looked back when he heard Nick approaching. A look of shock and concern crossed his features, but moments later he was looking back at the display again.

“Nick, what are you doing here?”

“I wasn’t going to leave without you.”

“The captain’s the last to leave.”

“What can I do?”

“Head down that corridor and take the first pod you can find. I can’t worry about you too.” He said as firing a salvo of torpedoes back at the enemy.

Nick grabbed Jameson by the shoulder and he looked him squarely in the eye. “I’m not leaving without you.”

Nick sat down and at Ops and started tapping at the controls. “Most of the escape pods have cleared the ship. The shuttle craft are tractoring as many as they can out of the system.” The ship took a direct hit to the saucer section, directly by the Bridge. Nick and Jameson held tightly onto the consoles, but it still tossed them to the ground.

Jameson got back up and quickly returned fire. Nick checked the damage.

“Well, that’s that then. We’re blocked off from the rest of the ship and the transporters are offline.”

They looked up at each other.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”
3 people liked this
Edited March 15 2017 by nicholasjohn16
Dave (Voleron)

Voleron

Tales of Tragedy Writing Contest

March 14 2017
Quote by NicholasJohn16
Can I just resubmit my story from the last time cause I can't think of another tragedy?


Sure, @NicholasJohn16.  If you want to resubmit a previous submission that meets the criteria, go ahead. 

Tales of Tragedy Writing Contest

March 14 2017
Can I just resubmit my story from the last time cause I can't think of another tragedy?

Tales of Tragedy Writing Contest

March 14 2017
How about something in the style of simplicity? #TalesofTragedy

-----






* This postcard was found in the personal effects of Captain Nathanial Hallifax at his home on Earth after his ship, the USS Warwick, was destroyed during the Iconian War. Friends and family close to him say that he carried this card with him on every assignment but his last - after the man he was in love with, Harrison Daniels, was killed in the Battle of Wolf 359 shortly after sending this. Hallifax never married. It gives a perspective that two officers never had a chance to have a life together, and in the end, both died because of war - but in the line of duty.
5 people liked this
Edited March 14 2017 by Rayne
Dave (Voleron)

Voleron

Tales of Tragedy Writing Contest

March 13 2017




We here at Stonewall are thrilled to announce #TalesOfTragedy, our FIRST #WritingContest of the year, running now through April 30th, 2017!  We're very excited to announce that we'll be looking for three winning entries, based on a variety of criteria that we'll touch on in more detail below.  This contest is open to all members of the Stonewall community, regardless of which games you play!  We're so very eager for you, Stonewall's amazing writing talents, to once again share your talent and creativity with us and your community!

The theme of this writing contest is "Tales of Tragedy".  We want you to include your in-game character or characters as you meticulously weave your tale of woe.  As you know, no tragedy can really be considered a success if it leaves even a single dry eye among your readers.  We want to be tormented... we want to be heartbroken... we want to know through your story, what exactly it is to feel sorrow.




To participate in Stonewall's Tales of Tragedy writing contest, you must post your entry here, in this thread, before day's end on April 30th, 2017.  Please use the #TalesOfTragedy hashtag in your entries.  Your posted entry must comply with these additional six rules to be eligible:

1.  Your story must in some way relate to one of your in-game characters, their friends, group or crew
2.  Your story must be written in English (so the judges can understand it)
3.  Your story must be your own original work (plagiarism will result in disqualification)
4.  Don't make your story novel length; we need to be able to read it in a single sitting!
5.  The content of your story must not be edited after the submission deadline

Only one entry per community member, please.  While we encourage you to include graphics to supplement your Tale of Tragedy, only the written narrative portion of your entry will be judged.

This contest, we'll be looking for the THREE stand-out tragic tales among all of the entries.  As we've done in the past, a panel of three judges will individually rate each of the entries in the categories of creativity, detail and impact.  The average of all three judge's rankings of an entry will produce the final score against which, the other entries will be ranked!  The categories are explained in more detail below:

  • Creativity: To what degree is the content original or unique?
  • Detail: To what degree are elements of the story explained in more intricate detail, rather than simply being stated as fact?
  • Impact: To what degree does the story resonate with the reader for a more lasting impact?



The winning contest entries will be recognized on our Facebook and Twitter social media feeds.  The winners will also be entitled to choose from one of three different prize packages that we've assembled.  Each pack is geared toward one of the three main games played in the Stonewall Gaming Network, namely: a Star Trek Online themed prize pack, a Guild Wars 2 themed prize pack or a Star Wars: The Old Republic themed prize pack.  We'll also be giving away a participation prize of two Stonewall Credits to all those who enter!  The winners will be able to choose one of the three following prize packs:

Star Trek Online Themed Prize Pack:

1.  5 Stonewall Credits
2.  Choice of an EXCLUSIVE WizKids Command Assault Cruiser unlock code OR
3.  1,000 Zen

We only have ONE Command Assault Cruiser code to give away.  First choice of prize will go to the winner with the highest score.  *Stonewall credits can be saved and/or redeemed for in-game merchandise through the Stonewall Credits Store.

Guild Wars 2 Themed Prize Pack:

1.  A Heart of Thorns expansion unlock code
2.  A hand-crafted set of exotic armor, weapons and jewels for a level 80 toon (donated by @whiteonmyoji)

Star Wars Themed Prize Pack:

1.  2,400 Cartel Coins!

Good luck to all participants!  We can't wait to cry ourselves to sleep each night after reading your entries!


3 people liked this
Edited March 13 2017 by Voleron
Gareth GXV3

GXV3

Mass Effect Andromeda

March 12 2017
Yea good song, the OST will come with the Deluxe version of the game

Nicolas J. Artley

Khazaan

Mass Effect Andromeda

March 12 2017
I like the song of the Trailer. Anyone knows, if the soundtrack will be available to buy and if its an official part of the OST?

"I'm only human after all ..." :p

EDIT: I could answer me after looking onto the summary below the vid direcly on YouTube ...

“Human”
Rag’n’Bone Man
Written by Graham Rory and Jamie Hartman
Published by Warner Chappell and Reservoir 416 (BMI)
Recording courtesy of SME UK Ltd
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
Unknown Person liked this
Edited March 12 2017 by Khazaan
Sej @Ereiid

Ereiid

Mass Effect Andromeda

March 11 2017
Spoiler:
3 people liked this
Edited March 11 2017 by nicholasjohn16
Gareth GXV3

GXV3

Mass Effect Andromeda

March 10 2017
Official Trailer mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!



The Exploration in this sounds so much fun which helps you progress and wake up the cryo sleepers until you gather enough resources.

Can I politely ask though... as the Game comes out on 21st for Canada and USA... The UK, Europe, Australia etc etc wont be able to play until 23rd (midnight) :( , so try to contain the spoilers in a spoiler box.

Unknown Person liked this
Edited March 10 2017 by GXV3

Albion Online & other games I am excited about...

March 08 2017
I am really looking forward to Albion Online. It reminds me of Ultima Online with the slightly top down view and the click to move interface. 

The part that really appeals is the open-ended nature of the advancement and classless system. I currently play Beta and look forward to a fresh start and exploration with the upcoming Galahad update and wipe. Is anyone else playing this game?

Also curious about Pantheon but haven't been willing to commit to anything regarding their "Pledge for Play".

Any other games in the fantasy genre/open-world concept that people are excited about? I know revelation just released but I am a console/mac user and not up for buying a gaming PC without a really appealing game.
Gavin

nivagni

Accolades - Complete Lists

March 08 2017
Fluffy has updated his "Complete" accolade spreadsheet - as of 23/02/2017.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15yw9kUbVwxpMKjZrnaJWte2fkdBc6kPYhUr_Xda83js/htmlview#
Bren Ohmsford

Bren

SGN Slither.io Challenge

March 06 2017
Thanks Gareth! I think you've got a lot of members addicted to playing with their worms now.
2 people liked this
Dave (Voleron)

Voleron

SGN Slither.io Challenge

March 06 2017
Thank you, Gareth!!  This was a super fun challenge and I'm now completely addicted to this game.  Thanks for the cool prizes too!

Unknown Person liked this
Cheshire McCaster

Niko

SGN Slither.io Challenge

March 06 2017
If anyone wants to add me on steam my user name on there is lunarneko13 using the same avatar picture as i do here.
Unknown Person liked this
Cheshire McCaster

Niko

SGN Slither.io Challenge

March 06 2017
This was a fun challenge my wrist may not agree with that sentiment but it was still fun. Looking forward to more challenges like this in the future.
2 people liked this
Gareth GXV3

GXV3

SGN Slither.io Challenge

March 06 2017


Congrats to @Voleron for having the longest worm in SGN,

followed closely by @naupres , and growing each day @Niko


Check your walls for a private message from me soon with your game codes for you to use on Steam


Well done also goes to @Bren and @Saintplazma,

both of you will also get something in your post.


Thank you to all who joined in with this bit of fun and competition between your fellow SGN members.

If you have any other completion/challenges that you think would get our community jumping in to have fun, let us know!!



4 people liked this
Aiten

naupres

SGN Slither.io Challenge

March 05 2017
#lookatmyworm

I think this is the best I can do before work.
2 people liked this