As summer draws to a close, I want to commend the incredible efforts of our staff and community leaders for hosting a series of epic events and storylines. Every weekend was bursting with activity!

This post highlights new features related to groups across campus and Hathian, from Greek life and sports to street gangs and organized crime in the Backwaters. To deepen immersion and enhance our lore, we’ve recently released the following:

Group Influence

Introducing a new feature that measures individual member contributions to story immersion, similar to Story HUD boosts but for groups.

• Crack Den Gangs & Backwaters Factions: Safes now display a turf map showing each group’s influence across the city.
• Campus Organizations: Rosters and Greek homes can view their group’s influence and presence on campus.

Graffiti Tagging & Turf

Our revamped faction and gang tagging system lets criminal members spray designated walls with their group’s mark. Players clicking on tagged walls will now receive the “Word on the Street,” revealing the group’s rumored recent activity, refreshed every 24 hours.

Tip: Faction members should read their own character card daily to keep the “word” most accurate.

Backwaters Faction Trades

Port Laveau’s shoreline is now more immersive with the addition of a new region and relocated prison, expanding the role-play city to bolster the backstory on illicit trade. Each faction in the Backwaters now has a designated trade linked to our extensive lore, supported by NPC features.

What’s Next?

I’ve been chatting with faction leads and staff on upcoming enhancements. Here’s a few coming up in the Fall:

1. Narrator Hints: Starting next month, the Narrator may drop hints, character achievements, and story opportunities in your IMs, especially aiding new players getting started in our community.
2. More Encounters: Players matched with newbies or in Backwaters for dark scenes now receive personalized quest-like prompts to earn extra boosts. The next Story HUD release will introduce new Encounter types for law enforcement, faction members, and more.
3. New Builds & RP Spaces: Columtreal, Hathian, District 8, and Laveau are under construction with new businesses being added for more roleplay opportunities. Pardon the dust!
4. Improvements with Narrator AI: Since our first AI NPC in May 2023, we’ve scaled to create multiple NPCs with unique personalities and special knowledge, including ERP capabilities. The next generation of NPCs will feature enhanced memory and dynamic emotional responses based on their history interacting with players. My goal with AI is simple — to create a more immersive storytelling experience and connect like-minded writers.

Thanks,

Nadir