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Post by Ghost Bear on Apr 20, 2004 11:45:22 GMT
Just a few quick questions for any of the PA crew.
1. What's being worked on at the moment?
2. How near are the projects to release?
I just found Beyond the Nightmare Gate in the Inner Sanctum, and played through it (cheating as I went), so I'd imagine that's reasonably close to a release. How about Legacy of Vashna?
-GB
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Post by Thomas Wolmer on Apr 20, 2004 15:28:56 GMT
As you guess, Beyond the Nightmare Gate is quite close to completion.
Barring anything unusual happening, The Legacy of Vashna is the next regular book in line. There is far more left to do there though.
Then there is work ongoing on the Magnamund Companion, aimed at producing a PDF version. No, we have not managed to get the permissions to use all the images (see the Help Wanted board).
Updated versions of already published books may appear now and then too, as well as an updated Rules Handbook.
As for planned release dates, we unfortunately cannot provide any. As I am personally one of the bottlenecks for Beyond the Nightmare Gate, I can safely say that it is at least three weeks away. And to give you a picture of what that estimate really means, I can tell you that five weeks ago I gave exactly the same figure. :-)
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Post by Relenoir on Apr 20, 2004 17:28:05 GMT
Hi there, As I seem to be becoming one of the more familiar faces on this site, I really would like to try to do SOMETHING to contribute to my fellow Magnamund fans. However, I do have a lot of school and work responsibilities, and usually only go on here for a half-hour to an hour at a time to check out stuff and reply to things. I DO have the entire set of LW 1-20, and 26, 1-4 of Grey Star, Freeway Warrior 1-4, the Magnamund Companion, and The Skull of Agarash. The books are all the unabridged versions. I don't have a scanner, and don't want to overcommit myself (I should be typing a paper right now, actually), but I also don't want to be unreliable either. Any suggestions? P.S. Sorry, this was probably the wrong place to print this...
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Post by outspaced on Apr 20, 2004 20:27:27 GMT
I really would like to try to do SOMETHING to contribute to my fellow Magnamund fans. You're very welcome! The more workers means a lower workload on everyone else. Except for stupid workaholics like me! You'd be surprised how productive you can be in just one hour. Right now, having a scanner isn't just a low priority, it's almost meaningless. Unless I'm mistaken, Project Aon has the scanned text for all the books we currently have the rights to: LW1-20, GS1-4, FW1-4, Magnamund Companion. Work to be done: only one book currently hasn't been proofread, that is FW4: California Countdown. For more information on what is required as a proofreader, visit here: www.projectaon.org/sanctum/howto.htm Because it will be a long time before we get around to working on it (literally years), there's absolutely no pressure on you to complete the proofreading by a certain deadline, though you'll probably find yourself working through it faster than you imagined. The assignments for FW4 can be found here: www.projectaon.org/sanctum/assignments.htm#ccIf that doesn't float your boat, or if you'd rather work on something more immediate, I'd suggest that you familiarise yourself with the Project Aon Editor here: www.projectaon.org/editor/ It can seem very intimidating, but it's much easier to use than it looks. Once you're happy with it, look through the submitted alterations for GS3: Beyond the Nightmare Gate for an idea of the sort of work involved. Once Legacy of Vashna is pre-released, you'll be able to join the editing team in scanning through the text looking for problems. For more information on editing, check out the link above about proofreading, and also click the HELP button on the Editor page. Since you are limiting yourself to 30-60 mins per day (not an unreasonable limit!), you would simply work through as many numbered sections as you could in the time you have set aside, noting the problems in the editor, and once that's done, post them. Start the next day from where you left off. No major pressure since it takes a minimum of 13 weeks to edit one book, though we are aiming at working through books simultaneously in an organised way. BTW--when I say 'team', I really mean it. If you check out the acknowledgements page on any of the more recent Project Aon releases, you''ll see that each book has about 5+ editors, so again, there's no great pressure on you. You'll miss things that others see, and see things that others miss, and see things that aren't actually erroneous (d'oh!). Looks OK to me! I hope this has helped you (and anyone else who would like to volunteer their time). BTW--I've already submitted a long list of proposed changes to TLoV without even seeing the online version: I simply worked my way through the book looking for problems and recording them. I have made 223 proposals simply from the book, along with 4 questions regarding certain phrases and capitalisation. Last time I did that was for #15: The Darke Crusade. And I'd only found about half of the complete number of proposals ultimately made, so there's loads left to do on TLoV! ;D
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Post by Relenoir on Apr 22, 2004 4:05:46 GMT
Hi there, it's me again. I tried to sign up/volunteer, but the "Contact Us" section wouldn't forward my email in either the "Volunteer" section or the "General" section. Still would like to help out with the books with an assignment, even though the "online editor" thing looks like nothing I've ever worked with--I'm mostly familiar with basic at-home programs like Word, Works, PowerPoint, Excel, etc., and have never worked on a web page at all. I'll probably need some tutoring, but hope I can make a difference! ;D
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Post by Ghost Bear on Apr 22, 2004 14:19:23 GMT
Thanks for the update. Tis appreciated. I know the feeling about missing deadlines. Happens to everyone I reckon.
-GB
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Post by Thomas Wolmer on Apr 22, 2004 23:01:22 GMT
If you want to join the volunteers, just subscribe to our mailling list at www.freelists.org/cgi-bin/list.fcgi?list_id=projectaon! Then either wait and see what comes up, or, if you see something needing to be done but no-one mentioning it, ask if we have a good reason to be neglecting it or if you can start right away. You can also find a message archive at the above link - at the moment it is very small, as we just switched mailing list service. Oops, our website is not updated yet. What we most desperately need at the moment are people who feel comfortable when confronted with an XML file, a DTD it doesn't quite adhere to, and perhaps a list of changes to implement. A deep and profound love for Perl scripts doesn't hurt either. And, not to forget, some free time...
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Post by Relenoir on Apr 22, 2004 23:21:26 GMT
XML File: Unless it's an abbreviation for X-Men List, I probably have no idea what this is. DTD: Don't Touch Drugs? Good advice...No Adgana!!! Perl Scripts: I tend to prefer the more recent scripts by Peter Jackson. Free Time: Now THIS I remember! Used to have lots many years ago. Still have some, though, and will be happy to dedicate what I can to "the cause." Just signed up, and looking forward to helping. ;D P.S. Hope the off-beat humor wasn't too much...
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Post by outspaced on Apr 24, 2004 20:02:38 GMT
Hi, me again! I kept meaning to respond, but . . . y'know . . . As Thomas mentioned, we've very recently migrated to a different mail server for our mailing list (since Topica started taking the proverbial), so the website is probably out-of-date. I know exactly what you mean! The first time I saw the editor program, I took off running in the opposite direction. It looked terrifying! But it's actually a real puddy-cat once you get to know it. As Thomas said, if you join the mailing list, you could request help with how to use the Editor any time. Hope it helps, and welcome to the fold! ;D [I used puddy because if you change the Ds to Ses the board censors it to [thingy] .]
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Post by Sarra on Apr 26, 2004 17:05:30 GMT
I really don't own any of the later books in the series. But I am so dedicated to Lone Wolf that I am willing to go out and buy some of the latter books for 20-50 dollars each in order to help. Just give me the heads up. Project Aon is a spectacular project and I want to be able to aid the world of Lone Wolf and Magnamund as much as I can. I can also help edit, whatever. If you need my help just ask.
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Post by outspaced on Apr 26, 2004 18:37:51 GMT
I am willing to go out and buy some of the latter books for 20-50 dollars each in order to help. Just give me the heads up. Whoa, there! Before you go spending oodles of sponduliks, you should be aware that currently Project Aon doesn't have the rights to Books 21-28, so bankrupting yourself to go after those wouldn't actually help the project at all! Books we currently do have a right to publish are: LW 16-20, GS3-4, Freeway Warrior 1-4. The Magnamund Companion and The Skull of Agarash are being worked on, though they can't be released until we've contacted the artists involved. The Lone Wolf Poster Painting Book never![/b] comes up for sale second-hand (I've had ABEBooks on the case for about 4 years and not one copy has ever come up), but if you have a copy and can scan in the contents that would help. But I'd guess you haven't. This leaves the eleven books mentioned above. And only the unabridged UK editions of LW 16-20 will actually be of any use, and they sell for considerably more than copies of their abridged US counterparts. Since adults don't know how to use computers (;D) perhaps you could learn to use XML / DTD / PERL--then you could help us oldsters out since we're desperately in need of technically-minded people right now on the project. Either that or you could help pass out the zimmerframes each day! ;D
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Post by Sarra on Apr 26, 2004 19:16:14 GMT
Actually I do know XML. I don't know if it is any help but I also know C++.
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Post by outspaced on Apr 27, 2004 9:19:35 GMT
*blinkblink* Please join the Project Aon Mailing List. Most of us either don't have time to do the XML stuff or, like me, don't have the foggiest about it. Actually, if you contact Thomas Wolmer he could tell you more about what is required since I know jack-diddly-squat about the technical side of things.
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Post by Sarra on Apr 28, 2004 3:15:29 GMT
I do know XML but there is one slight detail. I have 2 jobs and I go to school. I have almost zip time. Most of the time I am on here is at school or late at night (as in this case). However this summer I could help out...
As a matter of fact I have QML downloaded on my computer right now. lol. Anyways...as soon as school gets out I will check back into this. Right now I just don't have the time nor the energy.
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Post by outspaced on Apr 28, 2004 8:51:58 GMT
I have 2 jobs and I go to school. *whistles* My, you're eager! OK, here's to the summer. (May it not rain. )
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