Town Hall Meetings? (concept)

( UPDATE: I will be available in Solaria from 8pm-midnight EST in Dracino's cantina- unless needed elsewhere in the city, and via /city chat. It is a good time to reacquaint yourself with the mayor as well as voice suggestions/complaints regarding Solaria.  Citizens and guests are welcome all the same.  Participation points may be accrued, and at least one never-proposed idea will make light from the mayor. )

With the inclusion of city chat, I wanted to make sure it was being used to its best capacity. This is the first time aside from city mail where citizens can network and be in better communication with one another.

It made me wonder what could be done to include this in the setup of Solaria itself. So I was thinking about city hall types of meetings. Not so much with formality but more like having a beverage and discussing various topics.

A hot cup of caf? 

Or Java with Jivaro?

 Blue Milk with the mayor?

Enough of that silliniess...but you get the idea.  I have a poll asking how often you might like this concept.  The best part is it can be done through city chat so you can listen in without making the journey to the city.

Feedback appreciated, so give your thoughts.

This week's winner... (2010.03.28)

This week's lucky citizen is...

Uarac Anon

You have a week to claim your prize: but with the holidays, I can offer a slight bit of grace.

Tune in next week to see another name chosen.

Dancin'

Dancin'?
Dancin'!

To keep the galaxy well-rounded I decided to focus on something more entertaining than war...entertainers as a whole.

The first video is a music video from the Gorath galaxy entitled "Cosmic Girl" by kamikazekenny.


Back to Starsider to showcase one of the most well-known dance troops I ever knew (if not the first I was aware of) named the Neutron Pixies.

Most of the time I would see fliers for the Pixies concerts in forums.  On a few rare occasions I was even able to talk to Ramona...who I thought was the most high-profile of the bunch.  Prove me wrong by watching this showcase of the Neutron Pixies troupe.


Lastly is a bonus video entitled "Extacy: Girls of Starstrider" by Ladyhorde. It's more stylized than usual fanfilms: which garners it a place here.


If you have links to something you want to share (or your own creation), contact me or post it to the comments to make it known.

Mr. & Ms. Galaxy (contest)

This is a galaxy-wide contest {all SWG servers} which can earn you a badge for your efforts. It boils down to taking a screenshot of yourself and submitting it with the appropriate information (full information below).

As a reminder, the Solaria blog accepts submissions: stories, images, citizen profiles among anything else. Comment or contact me {in game or through the blog} if you wish to learn more.

If you love to take pictures of your character, this is for you. I posted all the rules below, but this is also a good time to remind you all about posting to the Solaria community. If you make an entry, let me know.

This week's winner... (2010.03.21)

The /choice proved itself not to be stepped in too much favoritisim.

This week's winner...

Scrappie

Comment to this post to receive your prize. Since I was delayed by a day, only fair to tack on an extra twenty-four hours.

Holowood Galactic Studios

HGS is a well-known entertainment outfit with many events and general creativity they share with the galaxy.

An ambitious group who put on many shows, if there's a big event...chances are Holowood Galactic Studios either hosted it or inspired it. I know if there's a Solaria event, I will freely admit to using HGS as the benchmark.

The clip below is from one of their fashion shows. Hopefully it's as unique and entertaining as I thought it was.



To get a better idea of them, give their site a look:
http://guildportal.com/Guild.aspx?GuildID=70851&TabID=613051

This week's winner (not claimed)

Not only is it Pi Day, but time for a new winner selected by /random.

This week's winner...

Tsosro

You have until Sunday to comment and claim your reward.

Event Badge Opportunity

Have you wanted to plan a community event?  Do you love earning badges?  You can do BOTH with this new (but limited time) opportunity.

All you have to do is host an event and have it submitted for the galactic events calendar (all of the info will be below, and link to official post).

Let me know if you want the event to take place in Solaria, since I can offer support and permissions for most any kind of event.  Maybe even a couple tricks up my sleeve others haven't thought about.

Click the "more" to reveal the full post about earning an event badge. Just remember: it's only for hosting an even in April...meaning time is ticking down.

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=1059840
(original link)

Restuss, Rori lore

This week I decided to honor some of the people who returned by this little look back at the Battle of Restuss.  This is the closest you can come to experiencing Restuss without a time machine or getting ganked by unethical combatants.

First is a fanfilm showing the pre-battle state and what has become of the city presently.  It was made by mstamper [character/server unknown].  The second is an official account of the battle itself [via LucasArts] from a certain protocol droid who isn't TC-14.  The droid does ramble about expertise system after the four minute mark; but still entertaining.

Closing it out is a minute's worth of compressed sky battle footage during the Restuss siege; made by trowax [Scylla, character unknown].

Hope you enjoy it all, and please contact/comment with your own links and opinions (as well as anything you wish to share).

New TGC Housing

Three new structures which raise two questions:  "How to get them?" and "Can they be placed in Solaria?"
These are obtained from TCG (SWG: The Card Game).  It's free and people with Star Wars Galaxies accounts can get free packs monthly.  If you DON'T think you have an activated TCG account yet, try one of these two methods:

1)  Inside of the SWG game, use the command /tcg
2)  From the SOE launcher: select the Games menu heading and from the drop-down list select Star Wars Galaxies TCG.  Or in the Games window, click the Strategy tab then select Star Wars Galaxies TCG.

The card game ties in for each account.  So if you have multiple accounts, you can have multiple card game accounts as well.

Why activate a card game?  If you like unique items to decorate your house with, that is the best example.  Some cards are "loot cars" which mean when claimed they can be used inside SWG as decor: but some have a bonus if consumed.  Vehicles and housing are other examples of things.  Each moth there is a special campaign mission in the card game where winning it earns a loot card.  So in theory, every month people can earn at least one rare item for SWG.  And if you need a hand learning the game, just let me know.

Here are the structures which will be available in the next card game expansion called Threat of the Conqueror.

Commando Bunker

• Base Maintenance: 26 cr/hr
• Base Storage Capacity:  250 items
• Footprint Size: 8x7
• Lots Required: 2

Vehicle Garage

• Base Maintenance: 26 cr/hr
• Base Storage Capacity:  350 items
• Footprint Size: 8x7
• Lots Required:  3

V.I.P. Bunker

• Base Maintenance:  26 cr/hr
• Base Storage Capacity:  250 items
• Footprint Size: 8x8
• Lots Required:  2

Doing research, the largest footprint to be built in Solaria under ordinary circumstances is 5x5.  If one of you end up with one of these as loot, I'll help you best I can with placing it as close to the border as possible to help the city look bigger (and make the distance from the shuttle shorter).

Politics in Bestine

Some know it, others don't.  There's an election in Bestine, Tatooine which anyone can vote in: the galactic grudge match of Victor Visalis vs. Sean Trenwell.

Both can be found inside of the Capitol Building of Bestine, Tatooine: -1131 -3614


Bestine of current day is a stately gem of Imperial politics. Before the arrival of the Empire, Bestine was primarily a farming and mining community, but it has since become the seat of Imperial power on Tatooine. As a result, Bestine is now the most cosmopolitan and cultured Tatooine settlement.

The basis is voting for the right fit of candidate for you: each having pros and cons. Whoever wins the election can bestow a gift to those voting in the candidate's favor (and maybe even a side quest).

Want to learn more? (click below for the whole story)
http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/en/players/news_archive.vm?id=68688

This week's winner... (claimed)

Later than usual, but there was good reason. There has been a lot of posts flying around, so I was off by a few hours.

Using the /random command again, the winner is...

Celesrias Alexius

You have a week (at least until Sunday) to comment here to earn your prize.

Remember: there is a weekly award for citizens and a monthly participation award to ANYONE who contributes via the talkbox, commenting, or anything which I post about.

To the Moon and Back

Time for another "Star Wars Saturday" as I had been calling it to myself.

This week is another fanfilm from Star Wars Galaxy. It comes from a good friend by the name of Teryn; but was shot by his toon Selendus. Actually it's a music video tribute for the song "To the Moon & Back" from Savage Garden rather than a straight fanfilm.

Not only do I think it's a great departure from the usual fighting videos, but it was recolored and has a little tale of love, loss, and the Empire (though not exactly in that order). He can be contacted in-game as either Teryn or Selendus.

Another tidbit... I was one of the actors in this video: not only playing one of the people, but also using my SoroSuub (named Tour of Beauty) which I even got to fly for a shot or two.



The Icostumes I wore are now inside Solaria's city hall, so take a look at them when in the neighborhood to see them up-close.

Please visit the profile for Selendus to rate the video or subscribe to his channel.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Selendus

Solaria Decor - Celesrias

There has been an open invitation for citizens (and sometimes non-citizens) to hold events or decorate the city with storyteller props.

First person to take me up on the offer was Celesrias.  Mostly improving the gardens already in place, here are some pictures of her design skills in the city. Click the pic to see its full-size version.

(more pics after the jump)

Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (4 of 4)

First it was basic stats, then the maintenance breakdown, and progressed to taxes in general. This segment shifts focus back to our city.

This metropolis has no taxes and the bare minimum of one fee. How does it sustain itself?

Solaria relies on the generosity of its citizens to stay fully functional. When things started getting tough for cities, I made a conscious decision to ease the burden for citizens...rescinding any additional taxes or fees. So long as there are funds in the treasury, I see no need to take credits from anyone involuntarily.

When a donation is made, the mayor is alerted who contributed and how much. It would be very nice to have that same message go out to citizens (or even a choice to be anonymous or not). Maybe I smell a future suggestion even.

After I made my decision, I did a one-time mail to encourage everyone to think about contributing at least once to the treasury since I had done away with all taxes. It went better than I expected; solidifying the notion I had made the right gamble.

Whenever someone moves into Solaria, I send a customized mail explaining the donation system rather than taxation. To date, I never had to make a push for funding. My thanks for all who have shouldered the burden in the fiduciary realm. I even pay a fixed amount into the treasury each time I win an election: showing just another reason how your vote for me solidifies Solaria's success.

One of the great things about having an old incumbent/elder mayor who cares about the city is the aspect of record keeping. Ever since city mechanics notified the mayor of treasury deposits, I have been keeping track of the generosity for no specific reason than just one of the random set of records I hold onto.

For privacy sake, I won't disclose the actual generosity, but I'll close this out with the top ten total contributors in the realm of sheer credits. Please bear in mind, money is no match for loyalty; and I am not loyal to money. This is just a fun little list.

[If you aren't a citizen but want to donate, just get in contact with me. I'm not soliciting donations at all, but doesn't hurt to put the thought out there.]

If you want your name removed from this list, just let me know.
My thanks to all the readers and citizens!

1. Gaedel Threefootseven XXXXXXXX
2. Ywomi XXXXXXXX
3. Edgecrusher XXXXXXX
4. Jivaro Qel-Jairus XXXXXXX
5. Dracino XXXXXXX
6. Zoulose XXXXXX
7. Klouds XXXXXX
8. Arayette XXXXXX

Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (3 of 4)

Can there really be more to share?
Of course!

Part 1 was devoted to hard stats, and part 2 was a breakdown of maintenance.

The question may be asked where the money for maintenance comes from. The funds are pulled from a city's treasury. But what fuels the treasury? It comes from three major sources.

Method #1 - FEES
Most would assume a different starting point, but fees are the usual way for getting visitors to contribute to a city.

How is it applied?
This is achieved from shuttle fees when traveling or a garage surcharge. Solaria has no tacked-on price when repairing a vehicle, and the shuttle's price is the lowest allowed (and would be zero if possible).

Method #2 - TAXES
The most talked about and reviled mechanic in generating operating costs for a city; automatically taken out on a weekly basis. It is the usual reason why someone prefers to live outside of city limits.

How is it applied?
Many know at least one of these areas, but this is a post of disclosure...

The most obvious of them all might be income tax. As city mechanics go, this is a set amount charged to each property's owner.

Another form is property tax, which is formulated as a percentage based on a houses standard maintenance fee. Anyone who has a property inside a city can find any applied taxes by checking the status via the structure management terminal.

Least noticed is sales tax, which is a percentage added to the price of an item listed on a vendor. If an item is set at 100 credits with a 10% sales tax, the price will list on the vendor at 110 credits. This is the only tax which can be applicable to people living outside of a city. Additional note: Structure entry fees are not applied to a city - only the structure's owner.

Method #3 - CONTRIBUTIONS
This is the least-noticed of the three and only applies to those who are declared citizens of a city.

How is it applied?
Inside of city hall, citizens can donate via the city management terminal. It is a purely voluntary option. Part of that I think needs an adjustment, but...

(more in part four)

Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (2 of 4)

What's left to show?

Part 1 was related to the general statistics of Solaria. This part is devoted to one of those aspects: maintenance.

What is maintenance?

Cities, just as houses, cost money to run. From the prettiest garden to the ugliest mission terminal; and even the most necessary homes for citizens, the piper must be paid.

Maybe people know about maintenance...or maybe not. There is a fixed amount applied to each item within the city's borders: taken out weekly. What most people (even mayors) may not know the breakdown of it.

I took the liberty of making a couple charts related to where our city's maintenance goes; broken down by percentages. Click either image to see a larger version.

There was one place that made a great-looking chart but the formatting and customization of it was rather horrid. But it sure looks nice! So here's a first look:

This is a more detailed version, though not as slick looking as the above image.

As the chart shows, the largest chunk of maintenance is devoted to housing (structures). Besides the acreage issues, it's apparent how more than one factor is at play regarding some of the city's property restrictions.

Solaria Statistics: Full Rundown (1 of 4)

For the longest time it was mails to citizens when information was doled out. Now things can be listed here, keeping the mails fewer and more concise...and people outside of residents can take a look at city mechanics.

This is a four-part series to give a better picture of a city behind the scenes.
1)  Solaria Statistics (here)
2)  Maintenance Breakdown
3)  Revenue Avenues
4)  Historical Helpers

To create the most comprehensive rundown ever for Solaria, I combined information from various sections of the city terminal. Some information has been obscured for security issues.

T H E  R U N D O W N

=======================
Solaria, Rori
founded by:  Amerio Starmaker
2004.02.22 (19:51:13 EST)

Citizens:  6X
Structures:  270
Specialization:  Research Center
Rank:  Metropolis (Rank 5)
Alignment: Rebel
Total Maintenance:  1XXXXX
Income Tax:  0 credits
Property Tax:  0%
Sales Tax:  0%
Travel Ticket Fee:  100 credits
Garage Service Fee:  0%
=======================

Monthly Participation winner: 2010.02

I wanted to reward all the people who decided to not just be declared inside of Solaria's city limits but those who truly participate in this community.

Cities for me are meant to be shared with those outside the borders. So this is what I did...

All who participated in the prior month were included. This meant any who became a follower, used the talk box, contributed to a post (or allowed me to post something), or commented.

Then I wrote the names down in a list and used the True Random Number Generator on random.org to choose the winner.

And this winner is...

Teehe Airtogo

His guild had befriended Solaria once their own city fell on hard times. A few still live in the city or the outlying areas. So it's fitting for this name to be chosen since it shows how Solaria extends beyond its borders in more ways than one.

The winner will have until the end of this month to comment here to claim his prize.

Hopefully this matter of choosing seems objective enough...and I hope to do it all over again for the next month.