Hello Sector!
Welcome to our Call for Volunteers! If you're interested in contributing to Starmourn's development, read on! You can also, if you wish, read this call on our website here: https://www.starmourn.com/2023/01/10/call-for-volunteers/
The volunteer team has been an essential part of what keeps Starmourn going strong. I myself started as a Storyteller and then a volunteer Coder back in 2021 and was instantly hooked to all the great initiatives I discovered were going on.
This time around, we are asking for applications for THREE different roles: Worldbuilders, Storytellers, and Coders.
Applications should be sent to neritus@starmourn.com and should include a short writeup of why you'd like to join the team and any information you deem pertinent. Additionally, include which role you're applying for as well as any additional role-specific information requested in the points below! The deadline for submitting applications is 0:00 UTC Monday, January 23th.
Worldbuilders
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Worldbuilders contribute to the game largely via creative writing. Projects Worldbuilders have worked on in the past include writing room descriptions and writing time messages for all the celestial bodies. Worldbuilders conduct their work on their main character via a BUILDERBOARD syntax, where we place bounties for build projects and Worldbuilders receive credits when jobs are completed.
If you'd like to be a volunteer but aren't sure where to start, Worldbuilding is a great choice. It does not come with the learning curve involved in being a Storyteller or a Coder, but you still get to make valuable contributions to the game!
Worldbuilders will also have a hand in helping us get Archaeology out the door!
To be a Worldbuilder, you should:
- Have the follow-through to see a task to completion once you take it on.
- Have strong creative writing skills
- Include in your application 1 sample room description for an area of your choosing, and the #1 thing you'd like to see added to or expanded on in the game.
Storytellers
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Storytellers contribute to the game in a large variety of ways including creating new mobs, items, quests, and areas as well as facilitating player RP, whether it be in admin-run events, the REQUEST system, or other ad hoc interactions. Storytellers also have a larger variety of jobs they can access via BUILDERBOARD syntax, and also can earn credits this way.
Unlike Worldbuilders, Storytellers receive an admin account which they log into the game through. Storytellers are also a public-facing role, which comes with added responsibilities and expectations around conduct and level-headedness.
To be a Storyteller, you should:
- Be able to keep a level head at all times.
- Have strong collaboration skills and play nice with others, be they admin or players.
- Have strong creative writing skills and a willingness to take on a learning curve with all the creation syntax and with our object/NPC interaction pseudo-code, progging.
- Have the follow-through to see a task to completion once you take it on, and even more follow-through to monitor your additions for bugs, feedback, or other issues players may encounter.
- Include in your application 1 sample room description, 1 sample NPC description, an idea for the flow of 1 new quest in an existing area, and the #1 thing you'd like to see added to or expanded on in the game!
- Be willing to sign an NDA.
Coders
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Coders contribute directly to the source code of the game. The first months of your work as a volunteer Coder would usually involve fixing bugs or adding quality of life/accessibility changes as you familiarize yourself with the game's codebase. As you grow in confidence, there's really no end to what you could achieve.
Coders can have a variable level of public-facingness depending on how you want to work, and what you want to work on.
To be a Coder, you should:
- Have experience with at least 1 programming language. If you write packages for your MUD client and know your way around a for loop, this is usually a sufficient entry point. Everything else is learnable.
- Have or be willing to set up a Linux environment, either via a standard distro or through WSL, for compiling and testing changes to game code locally. If this sounds scary to you, just know that I'd be here to help.
- Have experience or a willingness to learn working with git.
- Be able to keep a level head at all times.
- Have strong collaboration skills and play nice with others, be they admin or players.
- Have the follow-through to see a task to completion once you take it on, and even more follow-through to monitor your additions for bugs, feedback, or other issues players may encounter.
- Be willing to sign an NDA.
- Include in your application some information about your coding experience and the #1 thing you'd like to see added to or expanded on in the game!
That's it, that's all! We hope to be reading your application soon!
Regards,
The Starmourn Team
