James

[font=franklin gothic medium]Okay, I'll edit that now. I will keep the Terra Prime link in there though, just for the purpose of other players - these jobs are just to help players when they're writing. I'll just edit the text to take out the founder part. :catgirl: Okay, the RPG is live and the first landmark is up. This will hopefully give everyone a way to introduce their characters and explain the circumstances surrounding their entry to the ship. [/font]

[center][img]http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/522/vonbraunlogobl9.jpg[/img] [b][i][url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=59043"]Auditions[/url] - [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=58951"]Cast & Crew[/url][/b][/i][/center] [center][img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img][/center] Zahir examined his suitcase thoroughly. It was rather large and, much to his embarrassment, rather empty. The case had been given to him by his mother upon leaving Afghanistan for America and its age showed. It was a deep brown leather and was worn and faded in several places. The buckles barely clasped together and the zipper had to be awkwardly forced to close. He had laid it out on his single bed the night before and had spent hours pouring over it. It contained a couple of casual outfits as well as two uniforms. The uniforms were new; he'd picked them up the day before from his new employer. Ironically, even these simple bartender uniforms appeared infinitely more expensive than his own clothing. Just as Zahir began closing the case - now satisfied that all was in order - a thick plume of smoke clouded his vision. He could smell an odd mixture of alcohol. It could only be one person. Khalid was Zahir's roommate and had been for several months. The pair had been friends for much longer than that, having chatted on the internet for over a year while Zahir had been studying. Everything had worked to plan; Zahir needed a place to stay in Washington Prime and Khalid had an apartment. Khalid's descriptions had made the place sound grand - a large, clean, American apartment. It sounded like a dream come true for Zahir, who would otherwise have had to settle for God knows what on his meager income. Of course, things had turned out differently. In person, Khalid seemed to be constantly surrounded by an alcohol-induced haze. His apartment was tiny, with damaged walls, leaky plumbing and cockroaches. The hallways smelt like boiled cabbage. At least Zahir had his own room - for this, he was most grateful. When Khalid arrived home early in the morning, Zahir could just close the door to his bedroom and dream of better days ahead. The cloud of smoke had grown and now it seemed that Zahir's entire bedroom was shrouded in fog. He turned around and saw Khalid standing by the doorway. His boxer shorts were carelessly hanging from his hips while he scratched his stomach with one hand. He took a long drag on his cigarette with the other. 'You're [i]still[/i] fooling around with that suitcase, Zee?' Zahir hated those cigarettes. He didn't know what brand they were, but they were particularly offensive. They had a heavy odor that seemingly lingered for hours. 'Yeah, I just want to make sure that everything is perfect,' replied Zahir, turning back to the case. 'You never know, I might get a permanent role or something.' Khalid scratched his head. 'Doubt it,' he muttered. 'Once that first voyage is over, they'll jack up the ticket prices and only the best will get in. You'll probably be back to working at the Pony.' The Prancing Pony. It was one of the bars Zahir had worked at in recent months and it was by far his most steady work. The nature of the work, however, indicated why so few staff stayed beyond a few shifts. Zahir shuddered at the mention of it. He went through his wallet and produced his ticket. This ticket, he thought, was sacred. It was his key to the future. 'What kind of ticket is that?' asked Khalid, his eyebrow raised. 'It doesn't have anything on it.' 'The numbers are what matters,' replied Zahir, with a sigh. 'They just scan them and all of your details appear. Why do you always have to be so negative?' 'Just keepin' it real, Zee. The American Dream doesn't apply to some of us and the sooner we learn that, the better.' And with that, Khalid wandered off into the bathroom. Zahir heard the protest of a rusty tap and the sudden rush of hot water. Khalid hadn't even bothered to close the door; steam rolled out into the hallway. Zahir took one last look at the apartment. He wasn't unhappy to leave it behind, even for a short while. As much as he hated to admit it, though, he was disappointed that Khalid didn't even say goodbye. Landmark 01: Everyday Astronaut[font=arial][size=2][color=#202020][center][img]http://img356.imageshack.us/img356/9516/landmark01md0.jpg[/img][/center] "The Von Braun, Earth's very first space hotel, is due to launch tomorrow morning from the Marr Space Center. The ship's guests and crew are now in the city and will be arriving at the center early in the morning. Shortly after the vessel breaks free from Earth's atmosphere, guests will be treated to a number of celebratory launch events including a [b]lavish party[/b] at [b]Caesar's Palace[/b], the ship's prestigious on-board casino. Even the elusive (and highly secretive) [b]Captain Sorokov[/b] is rumored to be in attendance." [i]Washington Prime News Network (WPNN)[/i] [/font][/size][/color]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Okay, so, the Cast has been announced in the Auditions thread and I've put the final cast list up in the Dossier. The RPG itself will be commencing shortly in the Theater. Just after it begins I'm going to put up Dossier items for Locations and Landmarks, as well. Also just as a footnote, I've included character's general titles/roles below their names and avatars. We've had to edit a couple of avatars to fit within our requirements. In addition to that, I've changed a couple of staff titles ever so slightly, just so that we have consistency across the ship. For those of you who have talked about ship locations (like Caesar's Palace or any of the lounges), please feel free to write up Dossier entries on these places. You can describe how they look, what services they offer, etc. One other thing too - the currency in the RPG will just be Republic Dollars, or R$.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Okay, auditions for this RPG are now closed. I am happy to announce the final cast for The Von Braun Odyssey. You can also view the table below in our [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=58951"]Backstage thread[/url]. Congrats to all![/font] The Cast (by order of audition)[font=arial][size=3][color=#343010][center][img]http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b16/Blayze54/avatar7_guest.gif[/img] [b][i]DeLarge[/b] as [b]Adam K. Azure[/b][/i] (Journalist, Washington Prime Herald and Von Braun Passenger) [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/indiavi.jpg[/img] [i][b]Indi[/b] as [b]Jefferson T. Matheson[/b][/i] (Personal Security Officer for Samantha A. Wells) [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar16_guest.gif[/img] [i][b]Raiha[/b] as [b]Ilona M. L'Marcelle[/b][/i] (Lounge Singer) [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/von%20braun/arthurmostdefinitely.jpg[/img] [i][b]Shy[/b] as [b]"Arthur Clarke"[/b] (AKA Arthur Kendi)[/i] (Founder, Terra Prime and Von Braun Passenger) [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/aber1.jpg[/img] [i][b]Aberinkula[/b] as [b]Annabella E. Nichole[/b][/i] (Singer/Performer and Von Braun Passenger) [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/malkav.jpg[/img] [i][b]Malkav[/b] as [b]Maj. Christina Sijan[/b] (retired)[/i] (Chief Security Officer) [img]http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9613/sabavixi1.jpg[/img] [i][b]Sabrina[/b] as [b]Viktor Ivanov[/b][/i] (Official Representative, Ivanov Enterprises and Von Braun Passenger) [img]http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o159/pjmckrafty/VonBraun-1.jpg[/img] [i][b]inwardscream[/b] as [b]Dr. Kevin Camfield[/b][/i] (Chief Medical Officer) [img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [i][b]James[/b] as [b]Zahir Kahn[/b][/i] (Bartender, Der Raum) [img]http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5076/aryaviif9.jpg[/img] [i][b]Aaryanna[/b] as [b]Katelyn Brennan[/b][/i] (NARSIA Student and Von Braun Passenger) [img]http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c323/SamSandy/vonbraun2.png[/img] [i][b]Sandy[/b] as [b]Brunhilde Metzger[/b][/i] (Senior Hostess) [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/avatar6_guest.gif[/img] [i][b]Kenso[/b] as [b]Devin J. Letrad[/b][/i] (Professional Explorer and Von Braun Passenger) [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/gaelavatar1.jpg[/img] [i][b]Arichan16[/b] as [b]Gael Nact[/b][/i] (Belly Dancer/Entertainer) [img]http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h167/Desbreko_Fanclub/VBO/maul.jpg[/img] [i][b]Mr. Maul[/b] as [b]Jedidiah A. Pennback[/b][/i] (Chief Engineer) [img]http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9913/oldmanle2.jpg[/img] [i][b]8bit[/b] as [b]Sir Cornelius A. Posthumous[/b][/i] (Founder, CPS and Von Braun Passenger) [img]http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/2357/kathykf5.jpg[/img] [i][b]Aaryanna_Mom[/b] as [b]Natalia A. Evangel[/b][/i] (Executive Manager, Caesar's Palace)[/font][/size][/color][/center]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I want you to find some way to work Anjelica Houston (or one of her characters) into the story. [spoiler]She's probably my favourite actress and isn't in nearly enough films. So why not a mass crossover? She needs some love![/spoiler][/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]The Von Braun is slightly fantastical I suppose. There are areas of the ship that are "outdoor", meaning that they are rooms/areas which simulate Earth environments, as Indi said. So I'm not too worried about the technicalities of smoking. Smoking fits this RPG largely because of the 50's theme, anyway. Plus I wouldn't want to restrict characters in that way. Anyhoo, you can expect the final cast to be announced tomorrow. I will put a cast file up in the Dossier as well and we will kick this thing off very shortly![/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Brilliant...what an awesome end. Great job, everyone![/font]

[quote]Marriage was originally a construct of the church.[/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]Actually, the church borrowed marriage at some point. Prior to that, marriage was exclusiely related to land ownership and the assets of two families merging together - it took on a religious connotation [i]much[/i] later in history. Anyway, I suppose I am in agreement with some people here who aren't too concerned. Yes, it's a landmark decision, but I also did kind of expect it as an inevitability at some point. So, good for California. Now those who want to have their relationship legally recognized can do so. It's logical and it's due. And now that there's that equality, everyone can just get on with their lives. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I haven't heard from Charles in a while. But I do want to keep Otakupedia going. So please feel free to continue to submit stuff in this thread. I will try to contact Charles and hopefully he'll be around.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Thanks for all your sign ups so far guys. I will likely be closing the Auditions thread next week sometime. I will be in the middle of moving house this weekend, so with any luck I won't lose the internet for too long (at least I'll be able to access it away from home). So there's probably another week or week and a half left to finalise sign ups and such. Should give everyone plenty of time if anyone is still deciding on characters and stuff. [b]Edit:[/b] And no, sign ups are not closed or anything at this point. You've still got another week or so to sign up.[/font]

[quote]and let you choose perspectives when driving. [/quote] [font=franklin gothic medium]But they do. There are more driving perspectives in this game than in any previous GTA as far as I know. You can even have a hood cam. :catgirl: As far as the graphics...I don't know. Maybe we're looking at two completely different things. Or maybe it's a TV-related issue. All I can say is, if you run this game in high resolution and have your brightness settings right (I had to put the brightness up quite a bit), you will not have any major complaints. My [i]only[/i] issue with the graphics is actually the trees and stuff...they're still largely just like cardboard cut-outs but with a bit more detail. Everything else though? Significantly better than anything on the PS2. Buildings are much improved, weather effects are far more natural, physics are incredible, vehicles are [i]much[/i] more detailed (especially with damage effects) and so on. It's certainly no Bioshock, but there are obvious reasons for that. Nevertheless, it's a significant improvement over San Andreas in multiple areas. Having said that of course, the game's value isn't really even in its graphics - the game itself is what's important. And I think that GTAIV's actual gameplay is significantly better than the previous titles, although the focus is different in some respects. In terms of referring people to Crackdown... in all honesty, I'd be more inclined to refer people to Saint's Row. Crackdown is a solid game, but it's quite different to GTA and it certainly doesn't feature the utter depth and realism of GTAIV. So I'd say the two are quite different. The only element they really share is that they are both big "open world" games. Other than that... GTAIV in particular is all about the details. Uncovering the subtleties is probably one of the most significant aspects to the game. When I first started up GTAIV, I wasn't hugely impressed. It did only seem mildly evolutionary. But, seriously...you have to spend time with this game. The way the gameplay unfolds is quite incredible. If you avoid giving this game a real chance, you'll be missing out on something spectacular.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]If you create some cool new threads on Art Studio, I will promote them on OB World at theOtaku as well. That might give them a bit more coverage. [/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]So, how far are you guys? I'm just at [spoiler]the point where Roman gets abducted by Dimitri[/spoiler], which is proving to be quite interesting. And I can't believe that [spoiler]Michelle turned out to be working for the feds! I shoudl have noticed some of the slightly dodgy questions she asked Niko on a couple of their dates...[/spoiler][/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I can't even tell you how much I'm looking forward to Spore. The creature/vehicle/building modelling system alone will be worth it I think. I've watched a ton of videos and read all the articles... this is one of my most-wanted games at the moment.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]I think I might easily end up spending this amount of time on GTAIV... it's getting really good. The more I play it the more I'm finding I enjoy it.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Moved this to Backstage for you. If you want to start this RPG, I recommend brainstorming your story and concept ideas in here before launching an Auditions thread. :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]It's all good. Aaryanna's sign-up incorporates the right amount of info and I am happy with everything so far. Although the upper echeons of NARSIA might be questionable (or, should I say, the general citizenry are somewhat suspicious of the organization), this doesn't mean it's actually "evil" or anything like that. I am sure that the general police officers on the street, or those in the military are a) doing the right thing and b) unaware of any negative goings on. It's more a question of the institutional stuff that won't be a concern to most players at this point.[/font]

[quote name='CrimsonKnight'][COLOR="Red"]wow. you're a friendly group of people!:p[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, we actually are. Haha As you can see, there's often little risk of a question going unanswered! And then some! :catgirl:[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]NARSIA will be detailed in a Dossier file soon. For now though, I can point out that it's an absolutely massive organization with many, many internal divisions. NARSIA handles [i]all[/i] policing, intelligence and judicial issues. It would basically have an internal division dedicated to each area. So it's entirely possible (and probable) that there would be a NARSIA academy of some sort. It should be pointed out, though, that NARSIA is a less-than-benevolent organization much of the time. I'm sure that many of its most junior recruits are wide-eyed and idealistic, but yeah... it doesn't have the best reputation. Many citizens are somewhat skeptical of it.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Yeah, I just meant that it's sort of irrelevant. It's easier for us to have one central place where people can make queries - I don't even know all of theOtaku's staff, because there isn't a central list that exists anywhere really that I know of. Also it is sometimes possible for other staff to answer a query. By that I mean, if someone asks about quizzes... it's entirely possible that other staff will be able to answer questions about quizzes, rather than just the person who deals with them specifically. We probably do need a specific network-wide staff listing somewhere, though. I'm not sure exactly where it would sit or how it would look, but it's not something I see as urgent at this point.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Sounds good to me. Unfortunately my character will soon discover that in addition to sleeping in a tiny room, he will also be paid next to nothing. So he may not be able to afford to entertain himself in the nicer places. :catgirl: Oh and regarding officer positions, please feel free to write whatever interests you. If there's something I need you to change or modify, I will let you know. Most things should be fine, however.[/font]

[b]Passenger/Crew Member Name:[/b] Zahir Kahn ( sometimes nicknamed "Zee" by close friends) [b]Age:[/b] 21 [b]Identification:[/b] [img]http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/9978/vboavatarey3.jpg[/img] [i]In this portrait, Zahir is wearing his Der Raum uniform.[/i] [b]Occupation & Background:[/b] Zahir was born in Kabul, where he enjoyed a relatively quiet upbringing. His father was a prominent business owner in the city, with several small liquor stores to his name. Partly due to the conservative society's view of alcohol, the Kahn children often found it difficult to make friends in school (parents often encouraged their children to stay away from the Kahn family, fearing that they were "corrupted with western influence"). Rather than shy away from so-called western influences, Zahir instead embraced them. At the age of 19, he enrolled in the American University of Afghanistan where he studied photography and sculpture. He took on an accelerated course and graduated just after his 21st birthday. There was very little work available in his home country when it came to the arts, however. To make matters worse, Zahir was unsure about his future career goals in general. Finally, he decided to move to the Republic's capital, Washington Prime. Once there in the big city, he hoped he might find some of life's answers (Afghanistan is now part of a larger Middle Eastern State within the Republic). After working in several small bars for a couple of months, Zahir applied to for a working holiday program on the Von Braun. Not expecting a positive response, he quickly forgot about his application and continued working the bars throughout the city (while struggling with high rent and a frequently-drunk roommate). Only a week after submitting his application, however, he discovered that he had been accepted to the program. Most surprisingly of all, he was employed to work in the Von Braun's most exclusive cocktail bar: Der Raum, which is located on the first class deck. When reading the fine print, however, Zahir realized that he would be sharing a tiny room with three other employees in the ship's general staff quarters. Nevertheless, the opportunity to work in quite possibly the world's most exclusive bar would surely make it all worthwhile. Personality-wise, Zahir is still a relatively naive young man. He is also generally shy outside the bar environment. Nevertheless, he is curious and a quick-learner. Zahir hopes that his experiences on the world's first space hotel might change his life forever.

[font=franklin gothic medium]The Von Braun is like a city. You could almost say that each level on the ship contains several districts. The entertainment areas that first class passengers enjoy are notably different from what second class passengers visit. And, as mentioned, there will be some more "underground" venues (like casinos, cheaper bars, etc). So yeah, in short, the ship will play host to a wide variety of venues. You can feel free to play as someone who works in a venue (or even as a venue owner). And I imagine there would be several stages for live performance.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Looks good. I'm also going to include a bar in the Von Braun called Der Raum, which is a [url="http://www.derraum.com.au"]real[/url] bar here in Melbourne (and was recently voted the 4th greatest bar in the world :D). My character may work in that bar. I have yet to decide.[/font]

[font=franklin gothic medium]Well, really, we don't even have a proper staff list for our Moderators. lol At this point it doesn't matter too much for visitors because if they have a question, they can simply use the Info Kiosk to ask it. Staff will then respond. I don't think members should have to go chasing down staff - I'd rather they are just directed to one place where they can ask questions or search for similar information. And yes, we have Forum Leaders... but that's far from adequate in my opinion. It's one of the million things we need to address at some stage. Possibly not on this version though.[/font]